Attack on Titan : Hunter or Hunted?
by jilnachtaugen
Summary: Sequel to Now you're Ours. Petra and the Scout's gang are hunting down the Titan's gang members to find their new leader and eliminate the threat of their enemy's latest weapon : a drug called splitter. However, the threat might be greater than what they think. It might even be coming from their own gang. Thugs, murderers, psychos and more... Mostly LevixPetra some ErenxMikasa
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Welcome back to those who read the prequel (if you didn't, I strongly suggest you do if you want to keep up). Here's the first chapter of the sequel. Enjoy and and review! :)**

_Little reminder: splitter is a dangerous drug._

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><p>"So there's nothing we can do besides sit our asses in HQ?" Complained Hanji. "These guys have been doing a lot of damage since we took down Dok."<p>

"There is nothing we can do, four eyes. The ones we catch are either so high they can't even form a complete sentence, or are already on stage 2." Said Levi.

"Splitter is a really nasty thing." Added Erwin. "And Sina's researchers aren't even close to getting a way to treat it."

"Those old government geysers are too slow!"

"Don't say that Hanji. They are the best in the country. But they have a strict procedure to apply when researching and it takes time." Continued the lawyer.

"Which is exactly why you should let me do my own research on it!"

"That is out of the question. Having you guys chase down the Titans is enough. Besides, you don't have the right material to study that drug, nor do you have a sample."

"But you could..."

"Hanji! No! Stop insisting. I know you're brilliant but we just can't take the risk. If it is discovered that the government is asking help from thugs, the Scouts will be in big trouble."

"Not to mention your career as a law doctor will be over." Said Levi, with a bored expression.

"Still, chief, can we really do nothing?" Asked Eld.

"Not really."

"You could let me take a look at Eren, Armin and Mikasa. The three of them have been exposed to splitter." Said Hanji.

"Not a chance, four-eyes." The Scout's leader snapped.

"But why?"

"First, it was damn long ago, it's not like you're gonna find traces of that shit anywhere in their systems. Second, there really is no need to bring up the past with them, especially Jaeger."

"You've got a point..."

Hanji, sighted loudly and let herself fall in her chair. Erwin got up. "Well, it's already late, I'm gonna have to go. But there is one more thing, I'd like to discuss with you. How about integrating Petra to the lieutenant circle?"

Hanji raised an eyebrow. Everyone turned to look at the short thug. Levi frowned and stared into space for a second before speaking. "I already gave her plenty of responsibility and I don't need another lieutenant. Hanji, Eld, Gunther, Oluo and Mike are just what I need. Why the sudden interest in the ex-commander's daughter?"

"She seems to be quite a formidable member, why do you reject her? I thought you were one to reward the worthy ones."

"That's Scout's business Erwin, don't put your nose everywhere."

"Don't be angry, it was just an innocent observation. Well then, I'll be taking my leave now. Gentlemen." He said as he got up and put his coat on.

"Tch. You don't have to be so damn formal you know, this is Maria. Why do you feel the need to be so polite?"

"Because you never are, and I was raised that way. Hanji, everyone." He saluted once more before leaving."

"Damn him." Growled the annoyed thug. "You guys are dismissed."

The second (Mike), third (Eld), fourth (Gunther) and fifth (Oluo) lieutenants of the Scouts left without adding anything. However Hanji stayed in her seat. She stared at her chief with a funny smirk on her face. Levi frowned more. "What?" He snapped.

"I was just thinking, you're more aggressive than usual when it comes to our little miss Ral."

"What are you getting at?"

"I can't decide. Are you keeping her from being promoted because she wouldn't have enough time for you, or do you just want to keep her away from trouble?" She snickered.

"Non of the above four-eyes, she's too immature to be given such a big responsibility."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She can't follow a single order she disagrees with."

"Yet you let her handle the combat training..."

"In that domain, she's the best. That's why."

"You like her don't you, shorty?"

"Irrelevant to our current problem."

"There have been some rumors going around you know..."

"Do you really listen to everything the brats say around here?"

"Do I have a reason not to?"

"Just listening to what they say about you, would make all of Maria believe that we do human experimentation here." He got up and started walking out.

"Wait, what? What are the rumors about me?! Come on tell me!"

"I already told you, I don't listen."

"Now you're just being mean!" Hanji ran after her chief.

Petra's POV.

I quickly grabbed her arm and kicked her in the ankles so she would fall. My best friend crashed on the blue mat of the training room. "Not bad Kris, you're getting better and better every day. But you're still too hesitant to put your full strength into your punches."

I offered her a hand and helped her up. My best friend was covered in bruises. She'd made me promise not to go easy on her. She grunted quietly and then raised her head, smiling. "I'll keep practicing... Thank you for not going easy on me."

"Still, you didn't have to go that far, Sparky." Said Connie. "You ruined angel's cute face."

"I told you to stop calling me Sparky, you bald shrimp." I snapped. "I can put you in the hospital for a week if you want. By the way, your combat skills are more limited than Krista's. Same goes for you Sasha."

"That's favoritism!"

"Unlike you Krista's making real progress. Now stop goofing around and find a suitable partner. Thomas, practice with Sasha."

"Okay." Replied the cheerful blonde.

"Connie, go with Mikasa."

"Do you want my death?"

"I'll kill you right now if you don't listen."

"Geez, you sound more and more like the chief."

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

"Uhh. Sorry, sorry! I'm going."

'Geez! These guys give me such a headache. Why on earth did Levi put me in charge of training? They're like rebellious teens. Well they ARE rebellious teens. Although, I'm a teen too, I feel like there is a huge difference between us. I guess this is what it feels like when you're someone with experience. It makes me feel old. Damn you Levi.' I chuckled.

"OW! AH, DAMN IT, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

I turned around. Connie was on the floor with a bloody nose. Mikasa was standing in front of him, with her usual pokerface. I thought that was pretty violent for her. Usually she would simply send them to the floor and quickly move on to her next opponent. But in this moment she looked like she was lost in her thoughts. I was about to go to Connie and ask if he was alright, but...

"YOU...BITCH..."

"What, can't take it? Are you afraid of being punched by a girl?"

"WHY YOU..."

Connie jumped on his feet and ran to her, trying to punch her face. With a swift move, Mikasa dodged him, grabbed his arm and twisted it in his back. But she didn't stop there. She kicked him in the stomach, so hard that his breathing got cut off. He fell on the mat grunting. Mikasa then kept twisting his arm harder and harder. "What's the matter, is that all you can take?"

He voice was the same as ever but she was so different. Connie started to grunt out of pure pain. I ran to them and sent my foot flying in the asian girl's face. She let go off him and fell back. "Connie are you alright?"

"AAH, that hurts like hell! I think it's dislocated." He growled.

"Sasha, Thomas, take him to Hanji." I ordered before turning towards Mikasa. "What the heck was that?"

"Do you want some too?"

What the hell was going on? She absolutely wanted to fight. It wasn't like her to provoke her opponents like that. Or hurt her friends. That was too unusual. Could it be that she was trying to take her mind off something? If she was, then it could only mean one thing. 'First things first. I need to calm her down.'

I knew she wouldn't budge, so I didn't waist time and attacked her directly. She was the best among them, but she was still a long way from beating me. But as I was getting closer I realized something. I stopped, my fist half an inch away from her face. "Why aren't you dodging?"

She didn't answer. She just waited for me to do something. I lowered my fist. I turned to face everyone else. "We're done for the day, you guys can do whatever you want."

All the scouts started leaving chatting quietly. Krista came to me and whispered. "What's wrong with Mikasa? You think she's alright?"

"I might have an idea. Can you go make sure Connie's okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

My small best friend walked out of the room. I approached Mikasa once more. She was sitting on the floor against the wall with a towel over her head and holding an open water bottle in one hand. It was leaking, and she was lost in her thoughts again. I stood in front of her, looking down. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry. Please don't report this to the chief."

Straightforward, blunt and emotionless. Just like her. It pissed me off, so I decided to blackmail her. "I will if you don't tell me what's going on with you."

She got up and started walking away. Before she could leave I shouted. "Something's wrong with Eren, am I wrong?"

She froze. I continued. "I know he's been sick for a few days now. Is it getting worst by any chance?"

"He's fine. Please mind your own business."

"It is my business. Either you tell me or I tell everything to the chief."

'Just when did I become so Levi-like? ' I once more mentally cursed the leader.

"...I think he'll be sick for another day or so..." Stated Mikasa.

"Did Hanji take a look at him?"

"Yes. May I be excused? I need to go see him."

"Sure."

"Thank you."

I knew Mikasa was overprotective of Eren, so it was natural for her to act like that. But I felt like something was off. 'Ah, maybe I'm just tired after all this training.' I stretched my whole body up and yawned loudly.

"Well that was unladylike." Said a deep voice behind me.

I turned around. "Well excuse me. If you didn't want to see that, you shouldn't have named me official trainer."

"Watch your mouth. You're still not good enough to be cocky with me."

"We haven't fought in a while. I might have improved."

"Care to give it a try?"

One minute and thirty seconds later, Levi threw me over his shoulder and I landed flat on my back on the mat. "Well that was embarrassing." I stated.

"No more than usual brat. You're distracted. What's wrong?"

"I've only been instructor for a week, give me a break. I don't have the kind of authority you have. I have to deal with back talking rebellious teenagers. It's driving me nuts."

"Don't they remind you of someone?" He declared as he helped me up. "I have in my acquaintances a certain brat who can't seem to shut her mouth or obey orders when she disagrees with them."

"Oh come on, I followed every damn order you gave me since the Dok affair."

"Tch. We'll see how long that will last."

"Did you have anything in particular you wanted?"

"Do I need a reason to see my girlfriend?" He simply stated.

I blushed at the sudden declaration. I remembered we had confessed our feelings for each other, sort of. I didn't think he'd be so blunt about it.' He noticed and got closer to me.

"You're embarrassed." He stated.

"Sorry, I'm still not use to it. Besides I'm not really your girlfriend, we're not dating. And you said that even if you like me you wouldn't act differently with me."

"I wasn't asking for an explanation."

He was one step away from me. I was tempted to move away but I didn't budge. This kind of situation made me feel very uncomfortable. On one hand, he still scared the hell out of me yet he could be gentle. I guess I would be less freaked out if he would feel a bit more like me. Maybe he was, but no matter how he felt, Levi always had the same face. He grabbed a lock of my hair and pulled on it a bit and said. "Aside from our awkward relationship, is anything else bothering you?"

"Don't say it like that! And yes, I'm worried about Mikasa."

"I'm waiting for your report, Ral."

"She's been too distracted since Eren got sick."

"You're worried about our homicidal maniac? Four-eyes said he only had a little fever. That's not gonna keep him in bed long. His hate for Titans is as strong as ever. She said he should be able to start working again tomorrow."

"That's good. What the job?"

"We got some information about a possible hide out for splitter. You're going too."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm in charge?"

"You wish. You're going with Eld's team. And I actually have a special assignment for you. You're going to watch shifter boy for me."

"So you are worried about him?"

"The brat's not bad but he can easily loose it when it comes to Titans. Since Mikasa's going to be on an other assignment, you're the babysitter this time."

"What is it with you calling us brats all the time?" I rolled my eyes.

"You are brats to me."

"How old are you, old geezer?" I laughed.

"Twenty five."

I stopped and stared. 'Wow. I didn't realize he was that old. Then again, this guy has an ageless face.' Every time I got this kind of banal information from him, I could feel the distance between us. It was weird that I could be attracted to such a mystery.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm eight years older than you?" He asked.

"Not really. My parents were eleven years apart. They still hold the record."

"Good to know. You should go rest, it's already late."

"I have to walk Krista back to her place first."

I didn't move wondering what I should do. Levi was tough to read. He let go off my hair and said. "Be careful."

He started walking away, as if he understood my uneasiness. But he stopped midway and turned his head back. "Before you do anything else, take a shower. You stink of sweat."

That was it. I took my wet towel off my shoulder, quickly folded it in a ball and threw it as hard as I could at him. It landed right on his head. Before, Mr clean-freak could react and kill me, I ran out the back door, laughing as hard as I could.

Before going to sleep, I thought of the next day's mission. "Fighting Titans and babysitting Eren? Why not? They say women are good at multitasking."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Already finished chapter 2! (It's so that you won't hate me for the long wait!) Enjoy and review please!**

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><p>The following night, Eld's group, Eren and I were hidden around what seemed to be an abandoned factory, just outside the suburban about a hundred meters away from the docks. Eren and I were observing the place from the top of a pile containers. The boy looked pretty normal. Well if you can consider normal his usual state. He was twitching with impatience. "Eren, settle down! We'll go in once Eld says we do."<p>

"There are Titans in there." He shouted back. "If we don't do something now, they'll escape!"

I crashed my fist on top of his skull. "Shut your mouth. You want to ruin the whole operation?"

He rubbed his head and quietly apologized. Although, he resumed his twitching. I rolled my eyes in annoyance but didn't say anything. Suddenly, my phone vibrated. "Eld?"

"There is at least nine Titans in there. Get closer, we're going in."

Eren and I jumped off the containers and approached the old warehouse. A titan was patrolling around holding a baseball bat. It was covered with dry blood. I held back a sound of disgust. Without turning around I told Eren. "Listen up. I'm taking this guy down quietly, then we approach the wall..."

A shadow dashed passed me. Eren headed towards the Titan at full speed and yelling. "Eren no!" Too late. The angry teenager took a knife out of nowhere and shoved it into the titans heart. The guy fell on his back, dead. His eyes were wide open, and his face still showed a surprised expression. I mentally slapped myself and got out of hiding, "Eren, what the hell? ARE YOU INSANE? ..."

I froze when he looked at me. His glare was deadly. In that moment, he might have been more terrifying than Levi. His teeth were out, and I could see his eyes becoming red. As if they were drying up right in front of me. He then turned around, grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the warehouse's window. It broke in a million pieces. He rushed to the wall, jumped and grabbed on to the shattered window's edge. With his knife in his mouth, he grunted as he pulled himself up and entered. I took out my phone. "Eld, we've got a problem. Eren's gone berserk. He's in the warehouse. We have to help him now!"

Without waiting for an answer, I put away my phone and climbed on a pile of junk to reach the window. I jumped inside. The warehouse was big but empty. There was just a huge pile of sand bags against the wall. Eld and the rest of the team entered the building and circled the Titans. But what I saw horrified me. Two Titans were already bleeding and unconscious or dead on the floor. The rest of them had circled Eren and turned around when we appeared. As usual, they were high on splitter. They showed no fear whatsoever and even seemed happy to see us. "Hey look, the Scouts have entered the building."

"You should have told us you were coming to the party. We would have prepared a nicer welcome."

"Hope you brought enough chicks for all of us."

They were insane. Every single one of them. I tried to remember what Levi said about splitter. _'It triples your average human strength but it destroys your brain in the process and pushes up your personality a notch.' _

I looked at Eren. He was really trying to slaughter all of them. That was definitely a personality push up. His hate for Titans had exceeded the normal level. Could Eren also be affected by splitter like this? He was sweating like an ox and growling like a beast. He threw himself on the nearest Titan and stabbed him in the back.

"EREN STOP!" I yelled.

He ignored me and went directly for his next victim. Eld gave us the signal and the Scouts engaged the fight with the Titans. Sure the Titans, were physically stronger but the Scouts were a hundred times more agile. With the training Levi and I had given them, they were on equal ground with these freaks. We quickly got the advantage. As I was fighting off one of them, I saw two Titans grab two bags hidden behind a pile of sand bags and run out a backdoor. But I wasn't the only one who noticed. Eren grabbed the head of his opponent and snapped his neck before picking up his knife and running after them. I was about to call out to him when I received a harsh punch in the stomach and fell on my back. The Titan that had just hit me was about to crush my head with his foot, but I stopped it before he could and tripped him. I knocked him out with a quick left hook. I got up.

"Eld! I'm going after Eren!" I shouted before moving.

I ran out as fast as I could. It was cold outside. A little snow was falling. But Eren and the two Titans were nowhere to be seen. I picked a direction and started running along the docks. "EREN!" I kept calling out but got no answer. Then, from behind the container zone, I heard a horrible scream. "AAAAARRRRRRGHHHHHH!"

The scream of someone dying in a very painful way. I raced back to the zone. I moved in between the piles of containers until I found them. There was one Titan left, fighting with Eren. As for the other one... he was on the ground, dead. His throat had been ripped open and not by a knife. I looked at Eren : his mouth was covered in blood. If the present matter wasn't so pressing, I would have probably puked. Eren and the Titan were going in circles, like lions, staring into each other's eyes, mentally shouting "I'm going to slaughter you". The pressure in the air got heavier every second. I forced myself to move and attacked the titan from behind. He was so focused on Eren, he didn't even hear me. I sneaked up behind him and kicked him as hard as I could behind the knee. Surprised, he lost his balance and fell to his knees. I kicked him in the stomach and he fell unconscious on the floor. Eren watched me act without budging. But when I turned to face him, he started walking towards the Titan. Knowing damn well what he was about to do, I placed myself in front of the unconscious man. "Eren, don't!"

He kept walking slowly towards his target. "He's a Titan. He has to die."

"No he doesn't. He's a piece of shit and he's not worth you turning into a murderer! Eren! Wake up already!"

He snapped. "OUT OF MY WAY!"

He grabbed my arm and my whole body took off in the air. I was thrown at least ten meters back and my back hit one of the containers. My breath was cut off mid way. I slid down the giant metallic box and tried to breath normally again. When I forced myself up, Eren was about to slit the titan's throat open with his knife. I ran to them and a second before he could do it, I threw myself on him, grabbing him around the waist and taking him down on the ground with him. I quickly got back on my feet and faced him.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? SNAP OUT OF IT!"

He got up as well and gave me the same glare as before. I realized how dangerous he was. If he really had inhaled some splitter and had now crazy strength, the training he had, plus his instability would make him a loose killer.

"Why do you keep getting in the way? You're one of them too aren't you?"

'Not good.' I thought and took a few steps back.

"You're just like them. Annie, Bertolt and Reiner. You damn traitor!"

The teen ran towards me, raising his blade. I stood my ground waiting for him to come at me. I waited for the right moment. I grabbed his wrist and pulled on it. His weight made him fall down. I kept holding his wrist until he dropped the knife. When he did, I quickly picked up the weapon and tossed it away as far as I could. But before I even got the chance to turn around, I received a kick in the ribs and fell down. I rolled away just in time to avoid his next kick. 'There's no way I can immobilize him without injuring him. I need help.' I picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it at him with full strength. It hit him in between the eyes and forced him to bring his hands up to his face. I used the opportunity to make a run for it. I ran through the container piles. Once I thought I was far enough, I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed. 'Please pick up.'

"Petra! Where the hell are you?" Shouted Eld.

"I'm in the middle of the container zone. How are things on your end?"

"Were done. We've caught all of them. What about you?"

"Eren's completely lost it. He looks like he reached staged 2."

"What?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but he's acting like he inhaled splitter. He's crazy and he's trying to kill me."

"Petra are you a 100% sure?"

"He killed one of them by ripping off his throat open with his teeth!"

"No way..."

"And now he's convinced that I'm a traitor and he wants to murder me. Eld, I need help. If I do it alone, one of us is gonna die for sure."

"Hang in there. We're coming. Is he anywhere near you right now?"

"No and it kind of worries me." 'Where could he have gone?' "Oh no..."

"What? What is it?"

Without answering I started running as fast as I could to the place I had just ran away from. 'I'm such an idiot!'

When I reached the place, it was too late. The second Titan's neck had been snapped. He was dead. I stood there, frozen in horror. I could only hear the sound of my heart accelerating.

"Petra? Petra? Petra, answer me."

I brought the phone to my ear. "It's too late he killed both of them."

"Where is he?"

"I don't see...AH!"

Eren came out of nowhere and hit me in the stomach with his elbow. I fell on my back, hitting my spine against the ground and dropping my phone in the process. Without giving me a chance to stand, Eren jumped on me and punched me in the face until my head was pounding like a drum. He took a short pause and breathed heavily, like a bear after a fight. Then, he placed two hands around my neck. "Die, you filth!"

He squeezed my neck and started strangling me. I tried to push him away, but he was ridiculously strong. Even if could hit a weak spot, I have a feeling he wouldn't give a damn about his own pain. My lungs quickly pleaded for oxygen. My last chance was begging. My voice came out barely audible.

"Eren... please...huu...s-stop..."

"Die, monster. Die!"

I was the monster? Even if I could still struggle, in this moment I would have stopped. An ocean of tears was coming out of Eren's eyes.

"You're...crying?"

Me speaking again only resulted in him squeezing harder. I felt my consciousness fading away, little by little and extremely painfully. My throat was on fire and the burn was slowly spreading down to my lungs, as the tips of my limbs started feeling numb. I found myself wondering if he would break my neck before I choked to death. Then, finally lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I have no excuses, and I hope you'll forgive me! In the meantime, enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to leave a comment to tell me what you think!**

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><p>I thought I was dead for sure, but this didn't look anything like hell or heaven. It was just pitch black. There was a voice. No, many voices calling my name. But I could barely hear them.<p>

"_Petra, can you hear me? Petra?"_

"_Petra, come on, answer!"_

"_Damn it, Sparky, wake up!"_

"_Petra please, open your eyes!"_

I knew the voices. I recognized Krista, Sasha, Connie, Eld, others as well. But what were they saying? The voices were less and less clear, fading away by the second.

"_She's not breathing!"_

"_Out of the way!"_

I couldn't hear them anymore. I was being pulled away. Suddenly, I felt warm air. Warm air that was filling my empty lungs.. One, two, three, four times. Then it was fresh air. Then I heard my heart take a regular beat. A long shiver made my whole body tremble for a minute. An then I could feel my body again. I briefly opened my eyes, and saw a bunch of blurry figures on top of me, calling my name, one by one.

"Guys..." Was all I managed to say before letting myself fall asleep out of exhaustion.

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><p>When I opened my eyes again, it was morning. I was in a room of the mansion. My head felt heavier than usual. I looked around. Krista was sitting next to me, sleeping in her chair while holding herself up somehow. I chuckled quietly. I managed to pull myself up and sit. My back was killing me. I pocked her arm. She jumped out of her chair and fell.<p>

"Sorry. You oka..."

"Petra!"

My best friend threw herself in my arms, while tears came out of her eyes. "Thank god. Thank god you're okay." She said while sobbing.

"Easy Kris, I'm hurt."

"I'm sorry." She let go of me and wiped the tears off her eyes. "How do you feel? Are you hungry?"

"Na. Last night's memories sort of makes me want to throw up. Other than that I'm okay."

"Well, you look worse than you feel."

She went in the other room and came back with a mirror. She gave it to me. Man, was she right.I had a huge bruise on the side of my head and another one under my chin. My body was covered in them. I had bandages around my head and one around my neck. I took that one off. Eren's hand prints were on my skin. They had turned deep red-purple.

"I can't believe it. Did Eren really do this to you?"

"Eren! Where is he now? Did you catch him?"

"We did. If we had been a second too late you would probably be dead. The chief had to get serious with him. It took him a while to find him and knock him out."

"Levi came?" Oh shit. "Kris, where is Eren now?"

"In the training room, with Hanji and Levi. Last time I checked was four hours ago."

I didn't wait for her to finish and ran out of the room.

"Petra, wait! You're still..."

I rushed down the stairs to the training room. I pushed the doors, that led to the balcony that had view on it. A bunch of scouts were on it watching what was happening down there. Eren was attached to the wall, on his knees and hands behind his back. He was already covered with nasty bruises. Probably what was left of yesterday's fight with Levi. But right now he looked like he was in shock. He was staring at the ground his eyes wide open. He also didn't appear to be breathing right. Levi, Hanji and Armin were standing in front of him. Someone poked my shoulder.

"Petra, should you really be up?" Asked Connie.

"What's going on here?"

"Well, he was still struggling until a few minutes ago. Hanji stung him with something and now he's like that."

"Have they been here since last night?"

"Yeah, ever since we brought you back. The chief's on edge. He's...literally been trying to knock some sense into him."

"He was beating him up?"

"Yeah. He didn't really have a choice."

"I take it Mikasa didn't take that well."

"No. We had to lock her up in the cave. They've been trying to get Armin to talk to him, but he wouldn't even listen. Nothing's getting through. It's like...he really became a Titan."

"You know what that means?" Added Jean. "If he's gone totally berserk, he won't be able to remain a Scout. Especially if he's a danger to us. Worse case scenario, we'll have to kill him."

"Knock it off, you damn horse-face! It won't have to come to that!"

"What do you know? Did you see him down there? He's insane now."

"You wanna fight?"

"Knock it off you two!" I shouted.

'Man, this is worst than what I thought. Jean is probably right.'

Armin got a bit closer to Eren. "Eren, can you hear me?"

Hearing the voice of his best friend, the shifter lifted his head and looked at him with the same eyes as before.

"Armin..." His voice was strangled. He looked panicked. "What's happening? Why am I tied up? Where is Mikasa?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Levi was threatening. His death glare was even stronger than usual. "You're telling me, you don't remember you killed?"

"Chief, what's..."

Before he could finish, Levi grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up a bit. "Listen up you little shit, what's the first thing you swore to me when I accepted you into this gang? You better not have forgotten that."

"...that...I'd always be loyal to the gang..."

"Is trying to murder one of your comrades part of the deal?"

"Chief, what are you … saying?" He looked back at the ground. "What … did I do?"

"Still not ringing any bell? Tch. Allow me to refresh your memory. You murdered six Titans and you tried to kill Petra yesterday. You nearly strangled her. You really think, I'll keep someone like you around?"

"Chief, I'm..."

"Shut up! Yesterday's events prove that you're completely unstable. I can't take a chance for you to pull a stunt like that again. You've become a threat to us, Jaeger."

"LEVI!"

The Scout's leader turned around and looked at me, just as I jumped of the balcony onto the training mat. I gave him the nastiest glare I had.

"Do you make a habit of mentally torturing people? You don't even know the whole story yet."

"You shouldn't be up."

"Screw that! I'm the only one who knows what happened here. Don't jump to conclusions."

"You told Eld Eren was acting crazy like he was on splitter. We can't allow that kind of behavior inside the group, especially not now."

"He WAS on splitter, Levi! I'm a 100% sure. Do you really think Eren would take that shit in his right mind? I don't think so. Either someone gave it to him, or he accidentally inhaled it."

"She may be right, chief." Added Armin. "Eren is very sensitive to the drug since back then."

"YAHOOOOOOO!" Shouted Hanji. "That means I finally have a test subject!"

Levi sighed and hit his first captain behind the head. She calmed down and rubbed her skull. "Don't get ahead of yourself four-eyes. No one's dissecting anyone."

"Okay, okay. Anyways, I don't think the small amount of splitter they had in there would have triggered it."

"What if they've been stashing it there for a long time?" Said Armin.

"It is a possibility." Said Levi. "None the less, We can't let Jaeger walk around like that. For all we know he could go berserk anytime."

I turned around and kneeled in front of Eren. He was staring at me in horror. "Did I...do this to you?"

"Forget it! Now's not the time to focus on that. You missed anyways."

"You're taking this too lightly, Ral." Said Levi.

I ignored him. "Eren when's the last time you've been in contact with Titans?"

"About two weeks ago I guess. In the undergrounds. It was when we had to stop one of their trucks."

"Did you capture any Titans then?"

"Two if I remember right."

"Hanji, were do we send the Titans we catch?"

"Well, since somebody won't let me do my own research on them, they're usually sent in detox, or in the hospital if they've reach stage 2."

"How fast acting is splitter?"

"Immediate I think. The takers get worked up a couple seconds after inhaling the crap."

"So it couldn't have been them that gave it to him..."

"Geez, you really sound like a cop when you do your questioning like that, just like your dad."

As soon as she realized what she'd said, Hanji put her hand on her mouth. I gave her a fake smile. "I do, don't I?"

I'm pretty sure Levi gave her a death glare the second I turned around. Somehow it made me feel good to be compared to my awesome dad. Commander Eric Ral, the best cop in the world. And he was dead. Because of that shit of a drug. That's why I was gonna stop them. I stood up and faced Levi again.

"Look, Eren is obviously not responsible for what's happened to him. So until we find out why, I don't think kicking him out will do any good. Besides, it's not like we can send him anywhere. Let's just keep an eye on him for now."

The Scout's leader looked at me and then at Eren, then at me again. "Fine. But I want a gun holder with him at all times."

That's how we called the people Levi allowed to carry firearms. Among them were all the captains, Ymir, Jean and Levi himself of course. I suppose I didn't have that right because of what happened with Dok last time. Levi continued.

"The missions for today are cancelled. I don't want anyone to leave for any reason. All the captains, meet in two hours in the library. Hanji, call Erwin and see if he can make it."

"You got it shorty! And humm... after that, you think I could maybe have a little look at Eren? I won't be pocking him, I promise. Just regular medical questioning."

"Nothing's regular with you. Okay as long as someone's there to make sure of that. Oluo, call back the teams that are already on mission. Everyone in Eld's team, wash yourselves and your clothes. I'm not taking the risk of having that drug spread anywhere...that aside you all stink."

Soon the whole room was in movement. Everyone moved as soon as their chief gave the orders. "Ghunter, you and your team go get the food supply from the undergrounds. While you're at it, make sure the gate is closed. Petra."

I looked at him. "Yes."

He sighed. 'What now?' I thought, knowing that something awkward was coming.

Levi took off his jacket and threw it over my shoulders. "Next time you decide to rush out of your room right after waking up, at least wear a shirt."

"What?!"

I looked at myself. I was wearing my black leggings and on top...just my black sports bra. I quickly put the jacket on. "Gosh! Don't scare me like that. I thought I was naked for a moment."

"You might as well have been."

"I'm dressed like that whenever I train. You know that. Don't get pissed. Some women run outside in these clothes."

"This is not training session, stupid. You like being half naked in front of the brats?" He said with a bit of irritation.

"Well excuse me! I was too busy trying to stop you from kicking Eren's teeth out of his mouth! And not to ruin the moment but it's really not the priority right now!"

We had another glaring contest. Although, secretly I was hoping no one else had noticed. It was true that I always wore t-shirts when I was training with other people. He sighed one more time. "You're coming to the meeting too. So eat something and get dressed properly."

He started heading out. "Levi, let's free Mikasa."

"Out of the question. With the situation now, she might be the next one going berserk on us."

"I know she's overprotective but if she's still a Scout."

"...If she goes nuts, you're responsible."

"Deal."

He left. I realized, I was the only one left in the room. Hanji had taken Eren with her and all the others were probably doing what they were told. I went back to the room where Krista was waiting for me with some food. I started eating and we remained silent the whole time. After fifteen minutes, Krista finally spoke.

"Petra, I'm worried. How could Eren possibly have gotten splitter in his system?"

"I don't know Kris, but this really sucks."

"Hanji's theory is that it might have something to do with their childhood. Armin told me that when they were kids, they were held captive by the Titans for a while. The three of them."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. He said that for a couple of month they were the Titan's pets. They were beaten and they were even given splitter. Apparently, it is suppose to be sniffed, but they're positive about receiving injections. To the Titans it was funny to see them squirm in pain... Just imagining it makes me want to throw up."

"Those bastards."

"According to Armin, Eren was the one that got picked on the most because he was the most rebellious. Levi was the one who found them."

'Levi is right I thought, these guys have a lot more to them then what what they let us see.' I stood up and quickly dressed up 'normally'.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna see Hanji. I want to be there when she talks to Eren."

"You wanna ask him more about it? It's probably not a good idea."

"There's that... but I also have to make sure Hanji doesn't cut his skull open to inspect his brain."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, hey my dear readers! Here's my latest treat for you. Please enjoy and double please, review!**

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><p>Before going to Hanji's lab, I went to the undergrounds to set Mikasa free. It took a while to convince her that she could get out on the sole condition that she did not approach Eren. I promised her I would be with him the whole time and keeping her informed with my phone.<p>

Hanji kept her promise and only questioned Eren. But when she got to the touchy subject of his mother's death and the titans Eren bit his hand until it bled and tried to attack me again. Lucky for me Hanji had anticipated the situation and immediately put him to sleep with a shot. She gave me six syringes : four were so that I could give them to him every four hours to clear out the drug. Hanji wasn't sure of it's efficiency but it was the same thing she had used to make him 'wake up' the first time. The two others were paralytics, just to protect myself.

"It's better than Levi giving you a gun." She told me.

We then made our way to the office. Everyone including Erwin were already there. As well as a titan tied up to a chair. "What the..."

"Eld's team caught him last night." Replied Levi before I could finish. "He's not high anymore."

"You freakin' scouts! I'll bite your head off!" He growled.

Instead of a reply, he just received a kick in the face. Erwin immediately begun the meeting. "Let's get straight to the point. Levi, Eren should be sent to the hospital..."

"Not a chance Erwin. If you do that the police will question him and he'll get locked up like a beast. I'm not taking a chance."

"How are you gonna treat him?"

"I got no choice. I'll let four-eyes do it."

"I already gave him something I've been working on for a while. It does stop the effects for a couple hours but it looks like it's only temporary. That or strong emotions get the drug to get to the brain again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Eren snapped again when we talked about the titans and his mom. So I don't know what's responsible for making him go berserk. Don't worry, I've put him to sleep again and I gave Petra a few shots just in case. Ymir is watching over him for now. I'll keep working on that cure."

"That's one thing I want to know." Said Levi while looking at me. "Why did Eren attack you in the first place?"

"I tried to stop him from killing the titans. He started calling me a traitor and his high-self seems pretty set on that idea."

"I agree. Even though I was the one asking the questions, Eren directly went for Petra." Added Hanji.

"Hanji could you give me the formula of this product? For Sina's scientists." Asked Erwin.

"Won't they ask where you got it?"

"I have a good friend of mine who can help me with that. Don't worry."

Hanji agreed to it. Then Levi spoke again. "Got anything interesting for us Erwin?"

"Nothing concerning the titans but I did get my hands on something interesting..." He took out a bunch of papers. "These are the drug-related case records of Sina, five years ago till now."

"And?"

"Not once in all these cases has there been a splitter related story. There have been a couple in Rose though."

"What so surprising about that?" I asked. "It just means the capital is well guarded against drug traffic, no?"

"No. There are all kind of drugs circulating in Sina. Heroine, cocaine... but no splitter."

"I get your point."

"Does that mean we're gonna have to get our noses in the government business again?" Asked Eld.

"No. This time it doesn't require it. Our job is to find where they get the crap and get rid of it permanently. I don't give a damn about the higher ups's involvement. Agreed Erwin?" Asked Levi.

"Agreed. Although these files gave me an idea. If Dok was a splitter supplier he must have known something."

"Great deduction sherlock, but he's dead."

"Him yes. Not his right hand man."

"No, that one just in a coma in the hospital."

"I called before coming, he's awake know."

"I really hate you." Said Levi.

He obviously didn't want to see the man that wanted to turn him into a murderer. But he was obviously the only one who could make him talk. "Alright I'll go see the old bastard. In the meantime, this series of fake info is starting to get on my nerves. It's like they're toying with us."

"That's ridiculous. They are not remotely smart enough to come up with something like this." Said Mike.

"Their leader probably is." Said Hanji.

"Who was the first leader?" I asked.

"Some guy named Hans Kile."

"What happened to him?"

Everyone except Levi looked at their feet and the room was quiet for a while. Hanji started speaking. "Well...you see..."

"I killed him." Finished Levi.

I looked at him for a bit. He wasn't looking away. He wasn't denying what he had done. He was a man who always took responsibility and not just for himself, but for his entire gang as well. He was a great man, at least I knew that much.

"What was that man like?" I continued.

"Just an idiot who distributed splitter how he pleased. He also had an accomplice called Grisha for a while. I later found out this man was Eren's father."

"What? You don't think..."

"No. Grisha went missing two month after working with Kile. He may be dead now. We have to find this new leader. It's the only option we got."

"Wanna try and get him to say something?" Asked Mike while looking at the titan.

"Yes. Petra, leave."

"Why? Can't I stay for the questioning?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

I got pissed. "Look. You asked me to be here so I'm staying until the end."

"You don't have to watch that."

"Humor me!"

I walked towards the titan and looked at him straight in the eyes. He smirked. "What's up babe?"

I punched him making his nose bleed before grabbing his hair and making him look at me in the eyes. "Shut up. I want you to tell me who's your boss and where we can find him."

"Nice try cutie. But it's gonna take a lot more than that to get something out of me. Maybe if you were a bit more convincing..." He added staring at my chest.

I let him go. "You must really love being a puppet."

"Not so much actually. The man let's us do whatever we want. It is funny coming from a 'clean one'."

"So he doesn't take splitter. Interesting."

"That's all you'll get from me."

I took one of the syringe out of my jacket and showed it to the titan. "Hey Hanji! Tell me again what does corrosive acid do to human flesh?"

She snickered and played along. "Well, my dear it reduces it to an absolute liquid state in a mere matter of seconds...mixing blood, organs and bones into one, gigantic pool of molten flesh. Of course, without anesthetic properties, not much can be done about the pain. A single drop will go right through an elephant's body."

The titan suddenly became really pale and started sweating. I smirked at him. "You won't mind if I test it on him, will you?"

"Go ahead. There are so many titans I have plenty of other test subjects."

I lifted his sleeve. "It's gonna sting a little bit."

I shoved the needle inside his arm. "STOP! STOP IT! I'LL TALK!"

I placed my head one inch from his. "I'm listening."

"His name is Ares, but we have no idea where he is. He comes to us."

"Ares? As in the greek god of war?"

"Yeah. He leaves the stocks of splitter for us in different places every time. But the guys who deliver for him are always dressed like bodyguards. That's all I know."

"I'm loosing patience..."

"THE NEXT DELIVERY PLACE IS THE BASEMENT OF THE ABANDONED POLICE STATION IN MARIA!"

I took the needle out. "Thank you for your cooperation."

I turned and looked at Levi. "How's that for questioning, chief?"

"Who's doing mental torture now? Not bad brat. Erwin, he's yours."

"All right. Don't forget to keep in touch about Kenny."

"Tch. You're all dismissed."

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><p>After that weird meeting, I went to Eren's current room and sat next to him for the remaining of the day. His sleep was not peaceful at all. He was sweating and was breathing heavily. Like he had an intense nightmare due to a fever. Mikasa texted me every half-hour. I kept telling her he was asleep and fine. Otherwise, I knew she would come here. Before long, night was already there. By that time, Eren had calmed down a bit, but he was still breathing irregularly. At one point, I heard him mumble something. I got closer to hear what he was saying.<p>

"Mom...don't leave..."

Those words broke my heart and I had to fight to keep the tears from coming out. He was still burning hot. Hanji had told me that it probably was due to the drugs. I gave him another shot and then sat next to him and for three whole hours held his hand. He clanged to it for a long time before finally relaxing for good. At that point I myself was slowly drifting into a drowsy state. My eyelids were getting heavier and heavier...

"Some watch dog you are."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Oh, it's you. Don't scare me like that Levi."

"Go to sleep. You're really not useful in this state."

"Gee, thanks. And no thanks. I promised Mikasa I'd watch over him."

He went to sit on the couch against the wall. "You know you're gonna make me feel jealous of that brat."

"What are you, six?" I chuckled.

We were silent for a couple seconds. I finally got up and went to sit next to him. "Happy?"

"Tch. You're a real piece of work you, know that?"

"And your the biggest jerk I've ever met. At least try to look like you're happy. I've never seen you smile once. And you always complain about everything I do, no matter what it is."

I turned my head away. Why did this guy have to be so complicated? It really ticked me off but I was too tired to get mad for real. Then I felt him grab the back of my shirt and making me fall back, my head on his lap. "What are you doing?"

"You want me to stop complaining? Then follow orders, stupid. R.E.S.T. I'll watch Eren."

He took the cover that was on the couch and pulled it over my head. A feeling of nostalgia came over me and I smiled to myself. "I kind of feel like a mom taking care of her sick son. I wonder if that's how worried my parents were when I was sick."

The cover was pulled off of my face. I looked up. Levi was looking at me with an unusual...well, not-pissed-off look. I blushed a little. "Does that mean I'm your husband?"

Now, my face was crimson. I grabbed the cover and protectively pulled it over my head again. "Why do you always catch me off guard with these things?"

"Cause that's when I get to see the side of you that likes me."

"Huh?" I pulled the cover down. He was serious.

"I may look like an emotionless bastard, but you're no different. You don't even know what you make me feel. Just putting you in charge of the brats is irritating."

"You're not seriously afraid I'd fall for one of them are you? I'm really not the kind of girl that falls for immature boys."

"Don't even joke."

"Levi, I'm already having trouble sorting out my feelings with you. If it reassures you, you're the guy I think the most about."

"You still don't know how you feel, do you?"

"I really do like you. But I feel like I don't have a right to. I barely know anything about you, and that puts so much distance between us... I wonder if I'm not just stupidly falling for my 'hot boss' you know."

"At least you think I'm hot that's a start. If you want to know things about me just ask dummy. I don't remember ever dodging your questions about me."

"Isn't that kind of invading your privacy?"

"Tch. You can be so dull. This isn't the army."

"When I first came, I wondered at some point if you weren't secret service."

"You read too much mystery novels, you geek."

"Cut out the insults, already. Can't you ever call me by my name?"

"You like it when I say your name?"

"You know, when you're seducing me by saying cheesy lines like this, it really doesn't go with the face you're making."

"So you are seduced by me?"

"Why you..." I sighed. "Fine. From now on, I'll only follow orders if you call me by my name."

"Petra."

"What?" 'That was easy.' I thought

"Go. to. sleep."

He got me there. I pulled the cover over my head and closed my eyes.

"Good girl." I heard him say.

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><p><strong>Kawai! Hope you liked it! And hold on to something, because next chapter is gonna be a real blast (<strong>**literally, explosions and all)! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so sorry for the wait! Please enjoy (and review)!**

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><p>When I woke up, Eren was still asleep. And Levi was holding his head up with his arm, eyes closed.<p>

"Who's the bad watch dog now?"

"I'm not sleeping." He answered without opening his eyes.

I sat up. "Well you should. Let me watch over Eren now."

He didn't answer, but his breathing suddenly got slower. 'Who knew you could fall asleep so fast?' I placed the cover on him. As I did, I got a closer look at his face. He looked more peaceful than I'd ever seen before. This face looked like it could smile naturally. I wondered if he fell asleep like that because he trusted me. If it was the case, I would be really proud. I went to check on Eren. Levi had given him two extra shots while I was asleep. I only had one left, without counting the two paralytic ones.

'The splitter must have worn him out. He's been sleeping for over fifteen hours. At least he's relaxed now.'

I brushed a bang off his forehead. I wondered how much damage that shit of a drug had done to him. In any case, he was exhausted. Was he ever going to recover fully? I hoped so.

Who were the titans exactly? Just desperate people who took splitter? Actual criminals? Teens with anger management issues who had nothing better to do? If that was the case, then it wouldn't be wrong to say that Eren was one of them. I sighed. Why was fate so cruel with this boy? He became the very thing he hates most in this world...

BOOM!

An explosion sound was heard and right after, the whole mansion started shaking. Levi woke up and got to his feet instantly. I had to grab the doorknob to avoid falling. "What the hell?" I said. "Was that an earthquake?"

"No." Replied the chief. "That was a bomb. And it came from the undergrounds."

"You have got to be joking..."

"I'm such an idiot! I'd never thought they'd attack us here. Petra, stay her and watch Eren. If things get too shaky, get him out of here."

"Hold on you're not going down there by yourself are you?"

"Knowing the brats, they're already down there."

"Be careful!" I said as he left.

Soon after, another bomb exploded and the mansion shook even more. Another four or five bombs exploded making the old building really unstable. 'That's my cue.'

I grabbed Eren and put him on my shoulders. 'Damn he's heavy!' I made my way down the stairs and into the training room. Another bomb exploded but this time from the ceiling. I barely had the time to jump out of the way when part of it came crashing down. But I found myself lying on the floor, while other explosions were heard. Dust and ash started to fill the air and it was hard to breath. "They want to tear it down. I have to get Eren out..."

Just as I said that, and attempted to get up, another part of the ceiling fell down right on top of us. There was no way I could avoid that with my extra weight. I closed my eyes, ready for the impact. But it never came. Instead, drops of a warm and thick liquid fell on my face. I opened my eyes and saw Eren standing in front of me. His forehead was bleeding and he was holding with his back and hands the part of the ceiling that had just fallen. His eyes were dry and red. 'Shit! Did the splitter kick in again?'

But Eren looked at me and said "Are you... alright... Petra?'

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He had the brute force that splitter provided but he was perfectly conscious. And he had used himself as a shield for me."What the hell Eren?! You could have died!"

He chuckled."The chief would kill me if anything happened to you. Besides, I... owed you."

He grunted loudly as he pushed the piece of ceiling off of his back. Then he fainted in my arms. The staircase crumbled and reminded me that we were in the middle of a collapsing mansion. I threw Eren over my shoulders again and sprinted through the hallway that led to the exit, as the upper floors where falling behind me. I reached the entrance...only to find out it was blocked by all the debris. My last chance was the window. I didn't think twice and ran through the glass just as a huge explosion blew up the entire entrance hall and sent the two of us flying out a hundred yards away. I was thrown into the brick wall of the garden. I had no idea where Eren had landed. My vision was blurry but I could still see the mansion crumbling bit by bit. I could barely hear my own breath and my heartbeat felt like it was progressively slowing down. My muscles were on fire and I didn't have enough strength to blink. I could feel glass shards inside my body. My mind was replaying what had just happened at a sickening speed over and over for what felt like hours to me... until I finally fainted.

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><p>"<em>I see the crumbling mansion. My father's here, telling me to stay away and let the filth burn. Then I realize my father is actually Dok, pointing a gun at me, laughing and telling me I took good care of them in the end. Then he suddenly turns into Krista. She's bleeding from the stomach and is spitting blood. She looks at me with teary eye and says. "I thought you were my friend...How could you?"<em>

_Then she starts crying. "It hurts...it hurts..."_

_I try to reach out for her but someone's holding my arms and I can't move, and the second I turn around..."_

I woke up, sweating and panting. It was hard to breath. "What a creepy dream." I realized that I couldn't see. I had a blindfold around my head. I could tell I was in a chair and that I was tied to it. Even though, my body felt operational again. I didn't have my jacket on anymore either. The air smelled like a mixture of fresh paint and another familiar smell that made me feel uneasy. It smelled like my chemistry lab back in Rose High. Where the hell was I? I was definitely sure of one thing though : I was in the titan's grasp. Like Mike had said, they were way too stupid to come up with something like this. So their mysterious leader was probably the one who'd orchestrated the attack on our HQ. "I hope the others made it out safely..."

"I wouldn't worry. The chances of that are high."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. The voice was right next to me. And I hadn't heard anyone coming in... not that I had a clue where I was. "Who are you?"

"It's rude not to introduce yourself before asking someone's name." The voice was masculine.

"You already know who I am bastard! There's no way I'd be here if you didn't."

"You're feisty...and right. I do now you Petra Ral. In fact I know all there is to know about you. And I have to say, you fascinate me."

Could this guy really be a titan? He was so...polite. The pressure in the air was way different from the one around the high ones. But maybe even more dangerous.

"Let me guess, you're wondering why a titan would act and talk like I do?"

What the...could this guy read my mind?

"It's not your mind that I'm reading, Petra." He sounded amused.

"Show me your face, coward!"

"I guess I can do that."

I regretted asking that the second he started walking towards me. The pressure in the atmosphere got heavier with each step. I felt like a helpless bird in his cage as the cat approaches...except I didn't have a cage. His hand touched my neck and I froze in place. He chuckled and then caressed my cheek before taking off my blindfold. I looked at him. He was tall and thin and in his twenties. He had thin white hair that stopped just above his jaw and they didn't look dyed. He had one blue eye and a brown one. His skin was really pale too. A ring piercing was hanging from the top of his ear. He was wearing a white shirt with a hoody that was opened all the way to under his chest, and black pants. He was smiling and looking at me with a very sweet expression. That really creeped me out. He placed both of his hands on the back of the chair and leaned in closer. He stared at me with a very focused look. "Yes, I think I like it better when I can see your eyes. It's much easier to read you."

"Back off you creep!" I said with an attempt to kick him.

He dodged me with impressive agility and backed off. Then he started laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes you are interesting indeed. I wonder, is this why he likes you so much..."

What? Was he talking about Levi? How the hell did he know?

"I told you, I know everything there is to know about you. And Levi as well for that matter."

"Stop reading my mind!"

"I can't." He pulled out another chair and sat on it backwards, leaning on top of the back. He was still grinning and way too close for comfort. "It's my nature. And like I said, I'm not reading your mind. I'm not a telepath. I read you're body movement, your facial expression, I analyze every word that comes out of your mouth and with what tone. The slightest hint you give me tells me so much about you. Those like you with hot tempers are the easiest to read."

"You're a creep."

"Are you scared?"

"Like hell I am!"

"You're not very convincing."

I bit my lips and carefully thought about my next words. He laughed again.

"It's not gonna help."

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Who... on god's earth are you?"

"My name is Ares."

"You're the titans new leader?"

"Yes you could say that, although that's far from being all."

"Why did you attack us?"

His creepy grin turned to a sadistic smirk. "Because I want to play a game with you Petra."

"Huh?"

"You are an essential pawn to my game. That's all I'll say for now. But don't worry, I promise you won't be bored. In fact it might be the most exciting thing that's ever happen to you. I'll even give you a hint : it involves your beloved chief."

"What do you want with him?"

"If I told you, it would ruin the game. Besides, it will begin soon. Do you know where we are Petra? This is Rose's old police department central. It was abandoned twenty years ago. I've made it my secret place, sort off. I bring my inspiration here and use it to make my paintings. In these moments I feel truly alive."

I looked around. The room had a corner where there was only paintings and a table with stocks of pencils, paint and paintbrushes. But in another corner, it looked like a small chemistry lab, mixed with a surgery room. There were bloody scalpels everywhere. I looked at the paintings again. All of them represented human beings...either becoming monsters, devouring each other or crying in despair... Let's just say that I could puke by looking at them. When he saw me staring, Ares stood up and went back to his desk. He continued to speak as he took out a pencil and started drawing on whatever he was working on. "Art is born from chaos. In these moments you can see the essence of human nature. It's fascinating."

"How is this fascinating? It's nothing but torment and sorrow."

"That's exactly it. Humans are the only living creature who desperately tries to run away from it's true nature. By hiding behind morals and put a little order in the world. They always refuse to accept that they can't escape it. When chaos appears and control slips away from them, it all comes out. I find it extremely beautiful. That's when you realize that humans are the much more dangerous than any beast in this world. They are the real monsters." He had said all this sounding like a philosophy teacher.

"You're insane..." Was all I could manage to say.

"Am I really? Why do you say this to me? I'll tell you. You lack control of the situation and you are afraid of me. Yet you still resist your nature. Face it Petra."

He walked up to me and grabbed my chin to make me look at him. "Admit it, you want to scream for help, you desperately want to run away from me."

This guy was a real psycho. But in a way, he was right. I didn't want to look at him but I couldn't help it. He was trapping me just with his any warning, my body started trembling and I could barely talk. "I...I..."

"That's right..." He continued with a lower, sweet, incredibly seductive voice. "Let yourself go, Petra. Show me the beautiful beast inside you..."

I shut my eyes for a second, gathering clear thoughts. I couldn't let myself be led into his game. Then I reopened them and gave him my nastiest glare. "It's gonna take more than that to make me, asshole."

He smiled and let go of me. "I never expected it to work on you. Hot heads are the easiest to read, but they're the toughest to crack. Your eyes remind me of Levi."

He circled around the chair. I shouted "What do you even know about Levi?"

"Oh I know a lot more than you do Petra."

"I don't believe you."

"Do you know who raised him?"

"Kenny Ackerman."

"Do you know how old he is?"

"Twenty-five."

"Do you know how many people he killed?"

"..."

"Have you ever seen him cry? Do you know many hours he sleeps at night? How many languages does he speak? If he has siblings? What's his favorite food is? His hobbies?" He always had that gentle tone and spoke slowly and clearly, but his words were beyond fanatical.

"..."

"What's wrong, cat' got your tongue? I know the answers to all of these and a lot more. Don't feel bad about it. It took me two years to get those information."

"I don't believe you. He can't have told you all of that all on his own!"

"I will admit there were some... circumstances. I'm sure Levi will tell you." He brushed my hair off my neck and made me flinch. He caressed my tattoo, retracing the shape. "The wings of freedom. This is the symbol of Levi's strongest desire. I've always loved these wings..."

His hand circled my throat and he lifted my head. Then I suddenly felt his lips against my nape. I gasped. I couldn't move with him holding me like that. He removed himself. "...and I can't wait to break them. Maybe he was hoping you'd be the angel that saved him."

"Don't touch me!"I shouted, trying to move away.

He came back to face me again. He flipped a scalpel in his hand before pressing it against my lips. "What do you say we begin our game Petra?"

**Are you thrilled yet? Well, are you? No? Wait until next chapter and you will be!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Yep, I'm back so soon! Enjoy and review this new chapter where things get really interesting!**

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><p><strong>External POV<strong>

"Levi, everyone who's been wounded has been taken care of." Said Hanji, before turning to Erwin. "Thank you so much for letting us into your home Erwin. We owe you one."

"There was no way I could leave you like this after what's happened." Replied the blond man. "I never thought something like this would happen. I'm really sorry."

"Don't act like you're responsible for everything, Erwin." Said Levi. "We all knew the risks when we got involved in this. But if I'd been more careful, this wouldn't have happened."

"What's done is done, Levi. We have to move on." Said Hanji. "And make sure they didn't die for nothing."

Thomas, Mina, Hannah, Franz and others hadn't survived the attack. Others had not been found yet. Hanji's phone started ringing. "Eld?"

"Hanji! We found Jean, Connie and Sasha! They're bruised but all in one piece."

"Thank goodness. Who's left on the missing list?"

"That leaves us with...Eren and Petra. We looked everywhere..."

"I see... Levi?"

The Scout's leader was standing in front of the window, watching the snow fall lightly. He waited a few seconds before answering. "Tell them to come back."

"Right. Eld, get back here. You've done good work."

"Are you sure? We could look again..."

"Just come back."

She hanged up. "At least we know they're not dead... That's a start. Come on Levi, you have to rest now."

"I'm fine."

"You're not! You went through a window!"

"I'm still standing four-eyes! And I've got work to do..."

"Levi!"

"Enough! Just shut up and..."

RING! RING!

That was Levi's phone. The short man looked at the number. It was unknown. "Hello?"

"Hello Levi. It's been a while."

The thug froze for a second. He'd hoped never to hear this voice in his remaining lifetime again. And it had to be now of all times.

"What the hell do you want, Kile?"

"It's so nice to hear the voice of my favorite patient again. I've missed you."

"I can't say the same. I don't have time to play with you right now."

"Oh but I think you do. After all, you have been looking for me for quite a while now."

Hanji and Erwin were both staring at him. He put one finger in front of his mouth and then put his phone on speakers. "You're those freaks' new leader? I didn't think you'd be following in your father's footsteps so easily."

"Don't be mistaken, Levi. I intent to make good use of the titans unlike my father. Did you enjoy my little firework show at your HQ? I personally think it was very well done, if I do say so myself."

"..."

"Are you surprised?"

"Not really. It makes good sense that only someone as twisted as you could pull this off. It also makes sense that this whole shit seemed like a game of wild goose chase."

"I'm flattered that you remember my style."

"Get to the point, Kile. What do you want? And how did you manage to contact me?"

"Easy. Your girlfriend's phone had your number."

'Petra' mouthed Hanji.

"What have you done with her?"

"Don't worry, she's still alive. I just played a bit with her. You better hurry and find her though, she might freeze to death, given the weather. I'll give you a hint, try to think of where you confess your sins. You can be proud of her though, she barely screamed."

"You better hide fast and far, Kile. Because I'm gonna hunt you down and send you to hell."

"This kind of threat just makes my blood boil. I can't wait."

Bip. Bip. Bip.

"This guy is completely insane!" Shouted Hanji. "I'll will dissect him for sure!"

"Calm down Hanji." Said Erwin. "We have to find Petra first. 'Where Levi confessed his sins'. Could he be talking about your rehabilitation cell?"

"You mean from when he was in jail?" Asked Hanji.

"Yes. But how would this guy know anything about that?"

"He was my assigned psychologist."

"WHAT?" Exclaimed Hanji.

"Not only that. He's the son of Hans Kile, the first titan leader."

"Then she's probably in the cells!"

"Think four-eyes. The rehab center is still operational. Why would she freeze to death in a place like that?"

"Right. If it has to do with the weather, then she's probably somewhere abandoned..."

Levi's phone vibrated. Ares had sent him a message. Levi opened it. The picture showed a pencil drawn picture of Petra. In the drawing she was sleeping on the floor and was naked. She had a huge pair of wings coming out of her back covering her intimate parts. One of the wings was broken. Her hands were tied together. The message was titled : Last Hint.

Levi's fist tightened. He grabbed the ashtray on the table and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. It shattered in a million pieces. Levi grabbed his jacket and started leaving.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Asked Erwin.

"I know where she is."

"Don't go alone! It has to be a trap!" Said Hanji, obviously freaking out.

"Even if it is, I'm the target. If someone comes with me, they'll just be in the way."

"Levi. You're being reckless." Stated Erwin putting a hand on his shoulder.

The Scout's leader turned around and grabbed the lawyer by the shirt and brought his head close to his, giving him his signature death glare. "You'd rather I used them as shields?"

"Of course not. But each one of them is ready to give up their lives for you. If you disappear, it's over for the them. Or at least they think so."

"You can't stop underestimating us, can you? Even if I kick the bucket, I know a couple brats who would never give it up. They've learned not to depend on me forever."

Erwin sighed. "Nothing I say will change your mind, will it? Just don't die."

"Tch. Who do you think your talking to?"

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><p><strong>Petra's POV<strong>

It was cold. So cold. My head was spinning. 'What the hell happened?' I felt like I was lying on ice. All I remember was fainting during Ares's 'art session'. I thought I was gonna go mad. It was a thousand times worse than being shot. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in what seemed to be an old wall cultist church. It was huge but all messed up. Some of the stained glass windows were broken, one of the entrance doors was missing, the benches were in pieces and all over the place... The cold wind was going in and out of the old building, making it even colder than it already was. My hands and feet were tied up and I was gagged. I was at the feet of the alter. The chain tying my feet was attached around it. My body was so cold I could barely move. I shivered.

"Are you cold Petra?"

I looked up. Sitting on the alter, Ares was looking at me with his usual smile.

"You look surprisingly cute when you're tied up like that. Don't make that face. Your prince will come and save you soon enough."

'What the hell was he planing? Levi was coming here?'

"Don't worry, things are about to heat up." He took a gun out of his belt.

What in the world was he planning? He jumped off and took off my gag. But it seemed that even my tongue was numb. He then walked away. I didn't see to where but soon after he disappeared, I hears the noise of a motorcycle. 'Levi!'

Soon after the chief of the Scouts entered the building carefully, holding his gun. It was so dark, I was certain he couldn't see me from that distance. 'No... don't come in here. You have to get away.'

I wanted to scream those words, but I only managed to whisper them. I could barely move so making gestures to warn him was impossible. What in the world was I suppose to do?

"Just like I expected you came alone." Ares's voice echoed in the stone building. "You're making this boring Levi. I thought you wouldn't follow my will so easily."

"Go to hell! Tell me where she is Kile."

"Don't tell me you're so bad at hide and seek that you'd ask me for help."

"Tch. Bastard."

'No Levi. Don't come near me. I'm the target point. Stay back'. That's when I spotted him. Ares was on the church's second floor, leaning on the balcony. He was staring at Levi and smirking. All I could do was watch as Levi made his way through the church looking for me and Ares got his gun ready. 'Levi, stop. Please don't. Someone, anyone, help.'

Ares raised his gun and fired...

POW! POW!

Levi had moved at the exact same time and had shot the bullet that was going to hit him. "You really suck at ambushing." He fired again and hit him. Ares grunted and backed off the balcony. Then Levi came running, straight at me. He'd known where I was the whole time. He kneeled beside me. "Are you alright?"

I couldn't answer but I managed to smile and felt a tear fall from my eye. Levi shot my chains and wrapped me in his jacket. That's when we heard Ares's laughter from behind Levi. The scout's chief jumped on his feet and pointed his gun towards him. Ares's shoulder was bleeding from Levi's previous shot, but he didn't seem to give a damn.

"HAHAHA! That was amazing Levi! You haven't changed one bit. Despite the critical situation you managed to keep control of yourself. How I missed that glare of yours."

"And your still the crazy son of a bitch you were back then. You're coming with us. This time it's my turn to do the questioning." He started walking towards Ares.

"I'm afraid you still underestimate me Levi. I've had time to learn a few tricks in five years."

I saw a thin glitter hanging from his hand. A wire. He pulled on it. A small click sound was heard right next to Levi's feet and a grenade went off making him loose his balance and filling the space surrounding the three of us with white smoke. I heard something being thrown in the air and...

"AH!"

"Levi!" I finally managed to shout.

I heard footsteps running away from the church. The smoke dissipated quickly. I managed to put my weight on my elbows. Levi was leaning his back against one of the pillars. He had two scalpels planted in his arm and shoulder and another one in his thigh. A couple of others were on the floor.

"Damn the bastard ran away."

"Levi. Are you alright?"

"Don't worry it's nothing serious."

He grabbed the surgery tools and took them out of his flesh harshly. The cuts were bleeding but didn't look too deep. He put his gun away and then picked me up bridal style. I was so relieved.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, stupid br...Petra."

I closed my eyes and, putting my arms around his neck, I buried my face in his chest. "Yes, sir." I replied with a strangled voice ready to cry.

* * *

><p>Levi took me back to a big house in Rose that I didn't know. It turned out to be Erwin's house. Once I arrived, Levi took me directly to Erwin's living room that served as a pseudo infirmary. While he gave a quick summary of what had happened, I showed my wounds from the explosions to Hanji, as well as the bird wings Ares had carved in my back with his scalpels. Erwin, Levi, the five lieutenants and Krista were present as well.<p>

"That crazy bastard butchered her back like it was a piece of meat!" Exclaimed Hanji after applying antiseptic on it. "At least you're safe now. And your fingers weren't frostbitten so you'll be fine."

"Thank you Hanji." I said.

"So, what did he want asked Levi."

"He said he wanted to play a game with me. That I was an important pawn. I have a feeling it's not over..."

"Say Chief?" Asked Mike. "How did you know where she was?"

" 'The place where you confess your sins' is a church. But It was the drawing that gave it away. The way Petra was attached on the drawing was exactly how my first victim was when I killed her. And it was in the exact same place."

Once again I saw the weight of his past in his eyes. I quickly changed the subject. "This guy did what he did for a reason. I'm pretty sure something happened in our encounter that he wanted to happen. Otherwise it was all for nothing."

"I think you're right." Said Erwin. "His game has probably just started."

"What could he have done I wonder?" Said Hanji, lost in thought. "Besides Petra's butchered back, nothing really happene..."

"Cough! Cough!" Levi had suddenly started coughing violently. "Cough! Cough! Cough!" He placed his hand in front of his mouth and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright chief?" Asked Mike.

Suddenly, Levi vomited a fountain of blood.

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><p><strong>I told you to hang on to something! Hope you enjoyed it. Pls review!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my dear readers! I'm finally back! Enjoy and review!**

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><p>Suddenly, Levi vomited a fountain of blood.<p>

"Levi!" I screamed jumping out of my seat.

I managed to catch him before he fell to his knees still coughing. "What the hell is going on?"

"That bastard...he had it all planned from the beginning. Cough! Cough!" He managed to say with a strangled voice just before falling to the ground and fainting.

"Levi? Levi!"

Erwin carried the fainted man in his room. Levi was sweating like he had just run a marathon. His breathing was heavy and irregular. Hanji ordered everyone to get out except for me and Erwin. She took his shirt and jacket off to examine him. She asked me to bring water and splashed him on the torso and the forehead. She then placed her head on his chest to hear his breathing.

"I don't believe this." She said as she got up. "It's insane, but he's giving every sign of tuberculosis."

"You can't be serious..." Erwin said in disbelief. "It doesn't appear just like that. In any case, we have to get him to a hospital."

"No." Said Hanji. "Do you have any idea how this will affect the Scouts? He's one of the most wanted men in this city!"

"Does it make a difference if he dies?"

"Who's fault would that be? He's more stubborn than a mule!"

"Stop it!" I shouted. "This isn't the time or place. No one cares who's fault it is! We have to find a doctor!"

Erwin sighed before saying. "I might know someone. I've never seen him personally but it's a doctor that heals poor people who can't afford doctors. It's risky but given the circumstances we don't have a choice. I'll see if I can reach him."

"Wait. If he's in the illegal business, he could be a fraud." Stated Hanji.

"It's either him or the hospital Hanji."

"Aah, fine."

Hanji seemed different than her usual self. She was a crazy woman but she seemed to know when to take action and responsibility. She was the Scout's first lieutenant and second in command, after all.

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><p>One hour later the 'street doctor' arrived. He didn't look anything like the type of man that would hang out in Maria. But he gave off the good samaritan vibe. "You are the lawyer Erwin Smith I presume?" Asked the man. "I am Ash J. Rig. Please to meet you."<p>

"I'm sorry to cut right to the chase, Mr Rig but..."

"Yes, of course. Please show me to the patient's room."

Once in Erwin's room, the doctor froze when seeing Levi. 'Shit! Does he recognize him?' I thought. But he quickly got his usual face back. He asked everyone except Hanji to leave the room while he was examining the chief. The lieutenants, Erwin and I all waited in the other room while all the other Scouts were safely hidden in the basement. I kept bitting my thumbs's nails off while waiting. It seemed to go on forever. 'Just when did Levi get so sick? And now, of all times! What the hell were we suppose to do with our chief out cold like that.'

"Petra." Called out Erwin.

"Yes?"

"Your thumbs are bleeding."

Gunther took out a tissue and gave it to me, but said nothing. I realized that not one of the lieutenants had said a word. All were staring at the ground, probably thinking the same things I was. This was killing me! Finally, Hanji came out and told us we could go in. Rig was just finishing a session of acupuncture and taking out the remaining needles out of the chief's body. Levi was awake and had his usual glare. But he looked exhausted.

"Good to see you awake Levi." Said Erwin with a smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit. I can't even move properly."

"That's because I just finished pocking around your pressure points. It'll be easier to move in an hour or two."

"Well, doc." Asked Eld. "What's wrong with the chief?"

"It's not tuberculosis, even if it gives away the symptoms. I think it's a new virus. I've never seen it before."

"A new virus?" I asked.

"Yes. It causes fast tissue inflammation and attacks the blood vessels. But I've never seen something so fast acting. I'll need a sample of his blood to find a cure. I'll have to be quick about it though."

"What do you mean?" I asked, worried.

"Say it to my face, doc." Snapped Levi.

"If nothing is done and you keep vomiting that much blood, you'll be dead in less than a month."

"What?" I said in horror. No way. He couldn't die like that, so suddenly.

"Are you confident about being able to find a cure?" Asked Erwin, as calm as ever.

"I'll give it my best shot. It would help immensely if I had the actual virus, though."

Doctor Rig immediately left, after taking a sample of Levi's blood to go to his lab. Before he left he gave us his private phone number so we could reach him anytime. He had ordered us to let Levi sleep and give him the medicine he had left for him if he started coughing again. To my big surprise, he didn't complain at all, probably too exhausted to do so. I told Hanji and the others who had stayed up all this time to go rest while I'd watch over him. It was already 3:00am. I stayed by Levi's side, sitting on the edge of his bed. He had his eyes closed but looked like he was in a lot of pain. He was grunting a lot. Which for anyone else would be the equivalent of screaming. I put my hand in font of my mouth and tears fell out of my eyes.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed to myself in my hand.

Another hand grabbed mine and pulled it away from my mouth. "Don't give me that crap." Snapped the short thug. "You had nothing to do with this. You weren't even suppose to be part of it. So stop feeling guilty about it."

"Levi..." I just said, not knowing what to answer.

"Don't cry. It makes me want to break something."

I rubbed my eyes trying to stop the tears. Why was I so useless? I couldn't think of anything. What was I suppose to do? What could I do? If I could at least figure out how he got that thing in his system, I... Suddenly, without any warning, my memory kicked in and showed me a flashback. The one from the church, when Levi had been wounded by Ares.

"The scalpels..." I muttered.

I quickly got up and turned around to leave, but a firm grip locked itself around my wrist. "Don't you dare." Threatened Levi, sitting up.

"But...!"

"No way." He squeezed my wrist so hard he could have broken it. "You're not going back there. He's expecting you, stupid!"

"But if I don't go, you'll die!" I shouted as tears bursted out of my eyes again.

"I'm not letting you risk your life for mine, not in your lifetime, got it?"

"I'm sorry."

I took out one of the paralytic needles Hanji had given me and stung him in the arm. Levi gave me a pained glare and muttered a 'don't' before falling back to sleep. I ran to the garage and took Levi's motorcycle. I headed towards the old church at full speed, ignoring the traffic rules and the cold snow in my face.

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><p>The old building looked even creepier from the outside. I peeked inside and looked around to make sure no one was here, even though I was convinced he was still there. I quickly walked to the place where Levi had been stabbed. His blood was still on the pillar all dried up. But the surgery knives were gone. "Damn it!"<p>

I stood up and faced the rest of the building. "Show yourself, Ares! I know you're still here."

A couple seconds went by until a voice behind me answered, startling me. Ares was standing in front of the alter. "Hello Petra. How nice to see you here again so soon. Not that I didn't expect it. I didn't think you'd come alone though."

"Where are the scalpels, bastard?"

"So it's already active? Tell me, how did he look when you left? It must have been a pretty pitiful sight." He snickered.

"Shut up! Give them to me!"

"Come and get them, my angel. I gave you wings, use them."

That was it. I took my knife out and attacked him. But the man turned out to be incredibly agile and dodged every one of my slashed and hits with ease. I kept trying to hit him, but didn't even manage to get a scratch on him. I quickly ran out of energy and stopped to catch my breath.

"How... do you... move so fast?"

"You're adorable when you're trying to hurt me. But I think I like it better when you're tied up and with teary eyes. By the way, did Levi tell you that I'm a chemist? I invented that virus especially for him."

"Implying that you have a cure."

"You're good. Just like a cop. Did you get that from your father?"

"Quit changing the subject!"

He smirked and stayed quiet for a minute. I threw myself on him once more but he grabbed my wrist and hit me in the stomach without giving me a chance to harden my abs. The punch was so strong it could have shattered my ribs. My breath was cut off instantly. I felt myself being lifted into the air before my back hit the cold naked stone of the alter. Before I could react, Ares was on top of me, holding my arms on each side of my head. I tried getting myself out of his hold but his grasp was...inhumanely strong. He smirked at my useless attempt.

"Does that answer your question about my speed?"

"You're high...on splitter?"

"Bingo!"

"That's impossible. You have too much control."

"Let's just say I modified the formula a bit. I changed the way of appliance too. "

He took a syringe filled with blue liquid out of his jacket. I remembered what Krista had said about Eren and the others. _"Apparently, splitter is suppose to be sniffed, but they're positive about receiving injections." _Maybe that's why Eren... That's when I realized that I hadn't seen Eren since the attack on HQ. Before I could go on with my thoughts, Ares spoke again.

"I wonder how you'd react to it. Shall I try it on you? I think the results would be quite interesting. The first time is always the most painful."

He brought the needle of his syringe close to my neck. I froze thinking that if I'd move, it would pierce my skin.

"That's it? Aren't you gonna beg?"

"It's gonna take more than that to make me."

"You're no fun." He put the tool away. "If you want the cure for the virus, there's just one little thing I need you to do for me."

"You think it's that easy to make me your puppet?"

"If your love's life is on the line... absolutely. By the way, how long did the doctor said he had?"

"A month."

"Hahahahaha! I don't know what incompetent quack you hired, but he has less than two weeks, angel."

"What?"

"Are you open to my request now?"

"Bastard. I'm listening."

"I want you to kill a man named Ash Rig. Of course this is none negotiable. And you will have to bring me proof. His head, for example..."

"You're sick."

He smirked again and leaned really close to my face. "Well Petra, who do you choose? Levi or a man you haven't even met?"

I bit my lips unsure what to answer. "Who is he?"

"A scientist of Sina. That's all you need to know."

"I won't do it! I have no right to take someone's life. And neither do you. You think your God?"

"Since I'm the one in power, actually, I'm the only one who you can give this title to. Shall your new God take you to hell angel?"

He lowered his head even more and slid his tongue from the bottom of my throat to my chin. Without wanting to I let out a sound of disgust. But I couldn't even move an inch. Ares chuckled.

"You're blushing. Anyways, I've got another card to add to the game, something that could convince you."

This time, he took a phone out of his pocket and showed me a video. It was Eren. He was in some kind of cage, squirming in pain on the floor and chained by the neck. Before I could ask, Ares explained.

"We gave him a little extra splitter. It makes it quite fun to watch."

"You're insane."

"If you want him back, agree to my offer Petra. It's a nice deal. Trade one life for two."

What in the world was I suppose to do?

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><p><strong>Things are heating up! What will Petra do now?<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. Hope you'll enjoy it!**

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><p>What in the world was I suppose to do?<p>

I couldn't answer. How could I even think about taking the life of the one man that could save Levi's life?

"_The choice is yours angel. But you better make up your mind fast. The clock is ticking for both of them." _

"_How do I know if you're not lying about having a cure?"_

"_You're just gonna have to take a chance." _

Those were the last words that madman had told me before he'd let me go. I had also managed to take a scalpel from his vest while he was holding me down. I was now in front of Erwin's house, sitting on the porch, ignoring the cold. I had collapsed there My hands were wrapped around my legs and my head was leaning on my knees. I have no idea how long I'd been sitting there, but I couldn't feel my feet anymore. Suddenly someone pushed the door open and ran out. But they stopped right when they saw me.

"Petra!" Said Connie's voice. "You're back. What the hell were you thinking going there by yourself? Are you crazy?!"

I didn't reply. I lifted my head. Tears were still falling out. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Connie stared at me with a worried look. He kneeled in front of me. "What happened?"

"He said...he said Levi only had two weeks to live..."

"Oh, shit."

He grabbed my hands and forced me to get up. "Come on, we gotta tell Hanji and Erwin."

He dragged me inside and took me upstairs to Erwin's room. Connie pushed the door open.

"GUYS! We've got a big problem!" He shouted.

All the lieutenants and Erwin were surrounding the bed, talking with Levi. They all turned around when we came in. As soon, as he saw me, Levi gave me a death glare. He ordered me to come closer by a sign of the hand. I did, and the second I was in range, he grabbed me by the hand and sent his hand flying on my cheek. It burned but I said nothing of it. I just kept my head down.

"You're darn lucky to be alive! Don't think you're gonna get away with just this, stupid brat. What do you have to say for yourself."

"You only have two weeks to live Levi! That's what he told me. And you were his target all along. I don't know what you did to him, but he's dead set on playing with your life. He also said he had a cure. And he's holding Eren hostage somewhere."

Everyone was silent but Levi's expression didn't change. Erwin was the first to speak.

"He could very well have been lying about the cure..."

I took the scalpel out of my pocket. "I managed to take this back. He probably used those to poison Levi. Erwin, can I contact Dr. Rig? I need to bring this to him."

"Here. Call with my phone." He said handing the device over to me.

I dialed and called. "Ash Rig speaking."

"It's Petra, doctor. I wanted to tell you I managed to get the virus. Tell me where you are and I'll bring it you."

"That's great."

He gave me his lab address and I told him I'd be there ASAP. I hung up and told he others I was going. Levi ordered Gunther and Connie to go with me. We took the pickup and went all the way to Rig's lab. It was in a really old house. No one would think of looking for a lab here. I told the guys to wait in the car and pushed the bell button. Rig opened a few seconds later.

"Miss Petra. Welcome. Please follow me."

He led me down the stairs and we entered a small room with no windows that happened to be his lab. 'He really is a scientist.'

"Well do you have it?"

I gave him the scalpel. "By the way, how is the patient going?"

"He hasn't changed much since you came. I got some information and someone told me he had less than two weeks left."

"Two weeks?! This is far worse than I thought..."

"Can you save him, doctor? Please tell me you can save him."

"I can't say for sure miss Petra. Let me have a first look at this thing and then I'll try to give you an answer."

He quickly put on a lab vest and started working on the sample I had given him, his back turned to me. I could do it. Right here and now. His back was turned, I could stab him directly through the lungs. His blood would fill them and he would chock to death. No. That was too cruel. I could break his neck and make it painless. I would be killing an innocent man who had done nothing wrong. Maybe orphan some children at the same time. Ares wanted to destroy Levi, by destroying me first. If I killed Rig, I was also killing the one man that was putting his heart and soul into saving a man he had never met before. The one chance Levi had to get a cure if Ares had lied about having one. There's no way Ares wanted Levi alive, but he wants him to destroy himself. It was way more interesting for him if he had the real cure. But, having no idea where he was, there was no way I could steal it from him. What the hell could I do? I didn't want Levi to die. I looked at Rig's back once more. He was completely opened. I could... My whole body started trembling. Without wanting to, my hand grabbed the handle of my knife and I took one step closer to Rig. But then I asked.

"Who are you really doctor? I know you're a scientist. So tell me. Why would you do all of this for us?"

He suddenly stopped working and answered without turning around. "I'm a man who has to make amends. A man who abandoned his wife and children for the sake of science. They were killed by my fault."

"You lost your family?"

"My wife and my children. I won't be the cause of another death."

"How much could they mean to you if you risked there lives?"

"I cannot answer this question."

By the time he had finished I was two steps away from him, my knife in my hand. This man had killed people. It was alright to kill him, right? For Levi and Eren. I raised my weapon, my body trembled like it never had before. I could, right? But then, I had a flashback. Levi shooting Nile Dok in the head. And I knew it was not his only kill. Which had sinned more? Which life was worth more? Who really deserved to die? I brought my hand to my mouth and bit my index finger until it bled. Then I threw my knife across the room before I could do anything stupid and shouted.

"He asked me to kill you!" Rig faced me. "Ares told me to kill you doctor! In exchange for Levi and Eren's life!"

Rig's eyes widened. He approached me and grabbed my shoulders. "He is also in danger?!"

"Yes. I need you to tell me why Ares wants you dead."

"I honestly don't know who's the man you are talking about miss Petra. But I'll tell you this. I am a scientist of Sina and one of my jobs is to find a cure for the splitter drug. I suppose you have heard of it?"

"Yes. Ares happens to be the leader of the Titan's gang."

"I suggest we continue this talk with your friends and Mr. Smith. I will come by once I have finished my observation. You go and warn them."

"All right."

I ran up the stairs and went outside. I jumped on the back of the pickup and told Gunther to get moving, thanking god that I didn't hurt anyone. Once back at the house, I told Erwin what had happened and he told me that Levi had vomited blood again and was asleep in his room. I went back to the room. Levi was leaning on his belly. His breathing sounded painful. He was bare chest. His face was even paler than usual. I sat on the floor and leaned my back against the bed.

"What would you have done, if our positions were different Levi? I don't have a right to decide who dies and who lives. So I can't kill him. But... I don't want to loose you either. How do I deal with this?"

A moment of silence went by before... "Rely on us."

I turned around Levi's eyes were open and he was looking at me. "You knew didn't you?"

"Yeah. When I saw that you came back, I knew he had let you go. And obviously blackmailed you to keep his game going."

"Then you knew I was going to kill Rig! Why didn't you stop me?"

"Because I trust you."

This sentence...coming from him was...just incredible.

"I told Rig about the Scouts too. And the situation we are in."

"Why did you do that?"

"I needed to know why Ares wanted him dead. It turns out he's working on a cure for splitter."

"So the old man is actually a scientist? What a joke..." Levi started coughing again.

"Levi!"

"Can't say I'm happy to have this piece of shit in my system."

A few minutes later, Erwin, Rig and the lieutenants came back. The scientist told us about his observation. "I'll spare you the medical terms but basically, I have a slight chance of being able to make a cure in less than two weeks. But I suggest you don't take any chances and try to get the cure from that man."

"And the only way to find out anything now, is to ask Kenny Ackerman. He's the only one related to Titans that we know where to find." Continued Erwin

"But, the only one who could make him talk is the chief." Said Oluo. "And he's..."

"Don't treat me like I'm useless yet. I can still go see the old bastard."

"You really shouldn't move." Insisted Rig. "Moving around only accelerates the virus' action."

"Look doc, I don't intend to sit my ass in bed all day long waiting for my death while my brats are offering themselves up as titan bait. Get that through your skull."

"You don't have to be rude, Levi." Scolded Hanji.

"Hey guys?" I asked. Everyone turned to look at me. "Do you think...it was a coincidence? Us meeting Dr. Rig? Or did he plan it?"

"No need to worry about that Petra." Said Erwin. "He couldn't have possibly known that we would asks someone he believes to be working for the government for help."

"I guess not."

"Why don't we all get some rest? First thing tomorrow, we'll go see Ackerman. Doctor, if you want I have an extra room for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Everyone left and I sat next to Levi's bed again.

"Go get some sleep."

"I won't be able to."

"What are you worried about?"

"That you're heart will stop."

"Tch. I'm not dead yet, kiddo. Come here." He said scooting over a bit.

"Huh?!"

"As long as you know I'm still breathing, you'll sleep right? Then come here."

I know it was dark and he probably couldn't see it but in that moment, my face would put cherries to shame. But I thought I probably needed to sleep. At least a little bit. I took off my shoes and my jacket. I lay down on my back next to him. This was extremely embarrassing but not uncomfortable. Despite not being use to this situation, I found it nice to be next to him. I couldn't see him clearly because of the dark but I kept looking at him. Suddenly, he growled

"How are you gonna feel my breathing if you're so far, dummy?"

"Well, hum..."

"Good grief." He sighed.

Levi grabbed me behind my back and pulled me very, very close to him. My face got even redder than before.

"You're still embarrassed. That's cute." I could've sworn he was smirking.

"Shut up." I said quietly.

He was so warm. I felt really safe, this close to him. My usual tendency to wanting to get away had disappeared in an instant. I adored this feeling.

"Hey Levi?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't wanna loose you..."

"..."

"I don't know what I'll do...if you're not here..."

"Now's not the time to think about it."

"How can I not?" I felt like crying again.

"Just go to sleep for now. And forget everything, at least for a few hours. That's an order."

I didn't answer and just burried my face in his neck trying to do what he'd told me. He wrapped both his arms around me and nuzzled my hair. I focused on his breathing, trying to find a rhythm to the irregularity and fell asleep doing so.

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><p>The next morning, Levi, Hanji and I went to the hospital. We knew that Kenny had great interest in Levi and me, so he would be more willing to talk to us. We asked at the front desk for Kenny's room and took the elevator.<p>

"Hey, Levi. What's that you bought at the newspaper store before we came?" I asked.

"You'll see soon enough."

"It's not a ring is it?" Mocked Hanji. "I mean you guys already spent your first night...OW! OW!"

I stepped on her foot as hard a I could as Levi sent his elbow in her stomach.

"I was just kidding."

We finally reached, Kenny's room.

"Hanji, you stay out." Ordered Levi.

"What? Why?"

"Because if you talk to him, you're gonna want to dissect him on the spot."

Levi and I entered the room. One of Kenny's legs was hanged up. Almost all of his body was covered in bandages. He had a magazine on top of his head. Levi kicked the bed.

"You've slept enough, old man."

He flinched and took the book off his face.

"Kicking an injured man, aren't you ashamed of yourself boy?"

"You mean the same man who made me work with four fractured ribs when I was twelve? Not in the least."

Kenny sat up a bit more and saw me. "Well, well. It's been a while pretty bird. Did you come here to tell me you're getting married to my ungrateful brat? I hope I'm invited. Tell me, did you get to see his true self when he killed Dok?"

He pissed me off. "Shut up! We're here so you can tell us what we wanna know."

"As feisty as ever I see. I'll never get tired of watching you get worked up. It's exciting, really."

"You're disgusting, old man." Said Levi, nonchalantly.

"That shouldn't surprise you at all."

"It doesn't."

Levi walked to the side of the bed and leaned against the wall next to the window. He took a pack of cigarette out of his jacket. He put one in his mouth and lit it. He blew the smoke out of his lungs and showed the pack to Kenny.

"I heard you're not allowed to smoke in here."

"Yeah. What a shitty rule! I haven't been able to have a good smoke since you sent me here."

"You woke up from your coma three days ago."

"And that's fucking long, without my cigs!"

Levi gave one to him and lit it for him. The room was getting filled with smoke and it started to really stink. I put my hands in front of my mouth and nose. 'How does anyone start smoking that shit?' However, Kenny seemed to be have been reborn.

"Haaa! This feels great!"

"Now that you got that, I want you to tell me. Ares Kile. What do you know about him?"

"What makes you think, I'll tell you boy? You're persuasive tactics are getting soft."

He took three packs of cigarette out of his jacket. "They're all yours if you tell me. That and the fact that you might want revenge on your ex-partners for letting you rot here."

"I take back what I said. You're good at this. The man was the main buyer for splitter. He makes good deals in the capital, or so I heard."

"In Sina? You sure about that?"

"Yeah. The man keeps most of it for his lapdogs, but he transfers about a third of it to the capital."

"Why would the freakin' rich want with that shit? They already got power."

"And a lot of time to waste, boy. You of all people should know what the capital's undergrounds hide. I heard people pay a lot to see roosters or dog fights down there. Maybe they found a new type of animal fight that's been quite popular for the past five years. Can you think of any animal, that's more interesting than any other on this planet?"

"I don't suppose you'd know where we can find him."

"Seeing how he's a good supplier, he shouldn't have any problem being invited in some of his rich client's private homes. But come on, how hard can it be to find a guy with white hair among them?"

Levi gave him the cigarettes and said. "Petra, let's go."

"I'll give you a warning boy. Keep an eye on pretty bird. I heard he likes fresh meet."

Levi walked out quickly and I followed him. Hanji got up and asked if we'd learn anything useful. Levi replied.

"The bastard's in Sina. And I'm a hundred percent sure that Eren is there too."

Just as we walked out of the hospital, Oluo was brought the pickup to us and we got in. And just when Levi got in, he started coughing again, vomiting blood on the floor. But this time it was black.

"Shit!" Exclaimed Hanji. "Quick, get us to Erwin's place."

"Roger."

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><p><strong>Whoo whoo! What's gonna happen next I wonder? Pls review! :D<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my friends! Here's my latest chapter. Enjoy it!**

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><p>We called Dr Jaeger again to examine Levi. This time he got angry.<p>

"I knew you shouldn't have gone out. The blood that remained stuck at the top of your lungs is rotting. It's getting worse. You've lost at least five more days. Smoking was the worst idea you could have had."

"Give it a rest doc, we got what we wanted." Replied the stubborn thug while Ash was giving him a shot.

"Stop taking this so lightly! From now on, you have to stop moving completely. You moving around only accelerates the process."

"In case you didn't notice, we have a psychopathic freak on the loose holding one of my brats hostage. I'm not sitting my ass here waiting for him to be turned into a pile of lifeless meat."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Erwin.

"Eren is probably in Sina's underground were the rich distract themselves with illegal shit. I've been there before. There's everything : whores, drugs, casinos... According to Kenny, Ares transfers part of his splitter there."

"Why would they want a drug that makes them crazy?" Asked Hanji.

"It's not for them. Or at least I think. Say doc, does splitter work on animals?" Asked Levi suddenly.

"Strange question. Yes but it kills them in a matter of hours. Their brains are not strong enough to handle it."

"So their giving the drugs to other people. But who and why?"

"Oh my god." I said realizing. "That's what Kenny meant. They're betting on human fights."

"How is it different from an illegal cage fight?" Continued Hanji.

"Think, dumbass. It's a fight to the death. And they probably won't get any weapons. What do you think they're going to fight with? If you don't know, try remembering what Jaeger did to the titan he fought with under splitter."

The image of the titan's ripped throat came back in my mind and I almost puked. That was the worst thing I could think of. Eren fighting and killing his opponents like an enraged dog. I remembered how guilty he looked after realizing what he'd done...

"We can't let this son of a bitch do this to him. We have to go save Eren!" Exclaimed Hanji. "Who's with me?"

"Calm down four-eyes, you're giving me a headache."

"In any case, both our objectives include finding Ares." Said Erwin. "I think it would be wise to send someone to figure out where he's hiding before we make our move."

"Yeah. I'll go check out the undergrounds tomorrow." Stated Levi.

Everyone froze and looked at him for a long moment. Until Dr Jaeger finally yelled.

"DID YOU EVEN HEAR A WORD OF WHAT I JUST SAID? IF YOU WALK AROUND YOUR TIME WILL GET SHORTER AND SHORTER!"

"I heard your advice, I'm just gonna ignore it. I know the place best so I'm the obvious choice." Replied Levi with a defiant look. Someone didn't like to take orders.

"Levi, you can't!" Added Erwin.

"Stop insisting. I've made up my mind. I know what happens to people who aren't welcome down there. I've experienced it first hand."

"Why you stubborn..." Started Hanji.

She stopped when she saw me get closer and put my hands on Levi's shoulder. "Levi..." I said.

He looked at me with his usual bored glare. I gave him a pleading look before grabbing him by both side of his head... and sending my forehead colliding with the middle of his face. The thug fell back grunting and putting both his hands on his face. Blood was leaking out. Everyone was now stuck in awe.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" He asked giving me a murderous glare.

"Because you're being a mule, CHIEF! If it were any one of us in your position, you would force us to stay in bed, even knock us out if you had to! So I'm warning you, I still got one shot left and if you try to leave again, I'm putting you out like a light until this whole mess is over!"

"..."

Levi stared at me for a while and removed his hand from his face. He looked alright but his noes was bleeding. He looked away and put his hand out.

"What?"

"Give me a tissue. I don't need to loose anymore blood than I already have."

I took one out of my pocket and gave it to him. I apologized at the same time. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you this hard."

"Yes, you did."

"Yeah you're right. Anyways, we might..."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!"

I looked at the side. Connie was on the floor, laughing his ass off. Everyone else was also laughing, trying to regain their serious. Even Erwin and Dr Rig.

"What the hell guys? What's your problem?"

"HAHA. You just... HAHAHA...you just gave Levi...HAHA.. a headbutt HAHAHA!" Said Hanji in between laughs.

'What so funny about that?' I looked at Levi. His eyebrow was twitching angrily. 'Oh shit!'

"I might not walk around for a while but kicking your asses when you're this close really isn't an issue."

Everyone stopped laughing and almost saluted. Levi looked at me. "Go on."

"I was saying we might not need to go looking around the undergrounds of the capital. Ares asked me to kill doctor Rig. If we can make him think that I did, he will lead us straight to Eren."

"Please tell me you're not dumb enough to believe this is not a trap?"

"Of course not. But he believes we are playing his game the way he wants it, he might let his guard down."

Erwin was lost in thought for a minute. Then he declared : "Too risky. He's too smart to believe that we don't have something planned."

"In that case, let me go on my own for real. He'll never expect that."

"Are you an idiot?" Said Levi.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"We can't risk crossing paths with him. We have to find Eren on our own."

"Levi, if Ares has a cure, he's going to have it with him or at least keep it somewhere safe. He doesn't look like the kind of guy that cracks under torture. He only talks when he wants to. And that's usually when he's winning. So let's give him what he wants. It's our only option."

"There is no way I'm letting anyone take that risk."

"He's waiting for us to have a counter attack."

"No, he's expecting us to realize that we have no choice. Cough, cough." Levi spat blood again.

"That's enough." Said Rig. "Levi, you have to rest now."

"We have to decide what we want to do tomorrow, last delay. It's probable that Ares lied about how much time Levi has left. For now let's all get some rest."

Everyone went to bed. I turned the lights off and looked at Levi. He was already asleep and sleeping. His breathing was even worse than before. I could hear it from where I was standing. Since I was still wide awake, I decided to wait a bit before going to sleep. I closed the door and headed for Erwin's music room. (Yes the man had a music room.) I went to sit at the piano chair that was in front of the big window. The sky was clear and and the moon was full. I turned to the grand piano and opened the keyboard. In our HQ we had an old piano as well. Some of the members were really good at playing. I'd learned a couple easy songs from Armin. The little guy was good at this. I started playing the notes of Twinkle twinkle little star with a slow rhythm. I managed to miss a couple notes. I was better at singing. That's when I remembered a song. A song the Scouts really liked. Eren sang it a lot. I forgot what it was called but the lyrics were unforgettable.

_Day by day_

_We have lost our edge_

_Don't you know?_

_Forgotten is the life we led_

_Now it seems_

_You don't care what the risk is_

_Can't look back_

_They will not come back_

_Can't be afraid_

_It's time after time_

_Once again_

_I'm hiding in my room_

_So you can't fly if you never try_

_You told me...Oh, long ago_

_But you left the wall_

_Outside the gate_

_So more than ever it's real_

_It was like a nightmare_

_It's painful for me_

_Because nobody want's to die too fast_

_Remember the day of grief_

_Now it's strange for me_

_I could see your face _

_I could hear your voice_

This song reflected very well my life. But not just mine. It matched the life stories of almost all the Scouts. It was like another bond between us. At first, I always thought there was a distance between me and these thugs. But at some point, I'd realized that we were all the same. I took a deep breath before depressing thoughts could invade my mind. I went to lie down on a couch in the living room, where Ymir, Sasha and Krista were. My best friend was awake waiting for me. She gave me a sad smile and with a hand gesture, told me to sit next to her on the couch. I did so.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're lying."

"Yeah."

"What will you do, if you know the chief..."

"I don't want to think about it Kris. I'd rather focus on finding a way out of this mess."

"You're right. Speaking of which I had an idea. The place where Ares took you before the church. Do you remember where it was? He might have left something there..."

"You're awesome! I'm going to go check!" I said getting up.

"Petra don't go alone. I'll go wake up Hanji..."

"No need to wake them up. They need to rest. It's just to check. I doubt that son of a bitch is still there."

"Well, I'm not so sure. I'm coming with you." She said.

"I'm going too." Ymir was up. "I'm a gun holder. It'll be useful."

"Thanks guys." I said smiling.

"No need. But you know that the chief will kill you when he finds out you've been out again." She said.

"Well, screw him. I'm just doing my job."

We all went down to the garage and took a pick-up truck. With an old map of the city, we found out that the old police department central was stuck to the wall of Sina. We drove all the way there and stopped a couple streets away. We approached the old central and carefully made our way inside. Ymir was first holding her gun up. There were no lights so it looked abandon. We walked silently to the first floor. We checked all the rooms until we found Ares' art x science room. It looked empty but the window was wide open, but judging by the temperature of the room, it hadn't been long. Conclusion, someone was here. Before I could warn the girls, someone came out of the shadows and threw itself on Ymir knocking her to the ground and making her drop her gun. As a reflex, I kicked the person behind the knee to make her fall. She fell on all all four. Ymir had her gun back and pointed it at the attacker on the ground.

"Move and you die."

"Ymir wait!" Said Krista.

She got closer and leaned next to the person before lighting her flashlight, revealing an Asian girl covered in bandages.

"Mikasa? What in the world are you doing here? You're still injured!" Said Krista, panicked.

"I have to save him...I have to save Eren."

She was panting as if she'd just run a marathon. She was weak. The attack on HQ must've gotten her real bad. And she must've been sick with worry about Eren. She turned her eyes to me. She looked at me with anger and rage. The next thing I knew, Mikasa grabbed me by my collar and pushed me out of the room against the wall.

"Where is he? Where is Eren?"

"Mikasa, don't!" Pleaded Krista.

"My my, that's quite a rough cat fight." Said a voice I didn't want to hear.

Ares appeared at the end of the hallway. He had his usual sadistic smirk on his face. "Don't mind me. I'm simply watching."

"YOU." Said Mikasa turning to him and letting me go. "Where is Eren?"

"He's still in my care for now. So Petra, still haven't decided?"

"You're an idiot to have come here Ares. Ymir, give me the gun."

"I'm afraid your friends are busy taking a nap now. And you'll be too soon."

I turned around. Ymir and Krista where passed out on the floor. Soon after Mikasa fell too. I ran towards Ares to get my hands on him. But the scent of a certain gas caught up to me in my tracks. I gradually slowed down feeling the paralysis taking over my muscles. I had grabbed Ares' shirt when my legs finally gave out and my consciousness with them.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was in a big tunnel I knew really well. The underground traffic road. But one side was completely blocked. I realized Mikasa was there too, slowly waking up.<p>

"Where are we?" She asked.

"No idea. Somewhere in the undergrounds. Can you stand?" I said offering her a hand.

She slapped it away. "I don't need your help."

'Shit. That's not gonna help.' Ring. Ring. My phone started ringing. I didn't have to ask who it was.

"Alright psycho, what's your game now?"

"Well, since you failed the first task of my game, I should probably just kill Eren and let you watch Levi die. But where's the fun in that? I'm giving you one last chance to save them Petra."

"You want me to kill Mikasa?"

"Using the same challenge twice is boring. No, this time I'm giving you three tasks and you have twelve hours to finish them hours to finish them. Follow the tunnel and you will meet someone who will guide you to your first challenge. And I would mind the time if I were you."

"Fucking bastard! You know how much time he has left!"

"Yes, I do. Good luck my angel."

He hanged up. A race against time? Great, just what we needed now.

"Look, Mikasa. We have to..."

Before I could finish my sentence, I received a nasty punch in the jaw and fell on my back. I looked up. Mikasa had that glare. The same glare Eren had given me when he had called me a traitor.

"Your fault... he's gonna die. AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Yelled the Asian girl, throwing herself on me once more with the same murderous intent as him.

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><p><strong>Ouch! What's gonna happen next? Is this all Ares has in store for the Scouts? Find out next chapter. And please leave me a review! ;)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! Hope you'll enjoy this new chapter and please, don't forget to review! I just need to give a little reminder to those who didn't read the prequel. I forgot to mention him in this story, but Roork is Petra's german ****shepherd.**

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><p>"Your fault... he's gonna die. AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Yelled the Asian girl, throwing herself on me once more with the same murderous intent as him.<p>

I received a series of blows to the stomach and face until I hit the wall behind me, holding my stomach. We looked at each other in the eyes. I could feel the iron taste of blood in my mouth. We both panted for a while.

"Had enough yet? You can throw punches all you want Mikasa, but while you do that Levi and Eren's times are running short."

"HIS TIME IS ALREADY UP! YOU REALLY THINK THAT PSYCHO IS GONNA LET HIM GO AFTER THIS?"

"He's not dead yet and we still have a chance to save him."

"THAT'S A LIE! HE'S GONNA DIE AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

It was my turn to shout. "HOW CAN YOU HAVE SO LITTLE FAITH IN HIM?"

She froze and stared eyes wide opened at me. "You love him don't you? Then stop bullshitting around and taking your unjustified anger out. He won't die because he knows we're coming. Eren won't let himself die so easily! Get your ass moving and give it all you have to save him! I'm gonna give you my whole strength so we can save them both! We're both Scouts, we don't leave our comrades behind, no matter what! Are you saying you're gonna betray us by abandoning now?"

Mikasa stared at the ground for a moment, lost in thought. She wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just..."

"I know how you feel. But we gotta suck it up and get moving. Come on. Let's go save our boys."

She nodded and we started running. It took us a few minutes to reach the end of the tunnel. A man dressed in black was waiting for us.

"Are you Petra?" He asked flatly.

"Yeah."

"Follow me."

We followed through what seemed to be the giant room of an underground built medieval castle. There were a lot of people here. It was the undergrounds Levi was talking about. In one part of the room, it was set up like a casino with poker games and stuff. On another side, there were women dressed in way overexposing clothes sitting in couches waiting for the "clients" to choose their 'escorts'. I looked away disgusted, not understanding the concept of selling your body for money. Although I was pretty sure none of them had chosen this life. Then I noticed a lot of the men were staring at Mikasa. She had a rare kind of beauty that was an attractive sight. We heard some of them whistle at her and calling her over. We ignored them and kept following the man in black. He said nothing to us and led us to a door at the very end of the big hall. On the other side of the door was a staircase that went deeper in the undergrounds. We reached another door and the man pushed it open. The second we stepped in, we heard cheering and chanting noises of people. They were gathered around cages and I didn't have to look to guess what they were watching. Animal fights. Most of them were dogs but they also had bears, roosters, snakes and even one with tigers. 'They're sick.' This room was so loud it hurt my ears. I tried ignoring it and saw that Mikasa was staring straight ahead. The guy led us to a big ring/cage at the very end of the room. It was empty but I could see the shape of a big animal raging around in his cage. The man turned to us and said.

"This is your first task. If you want to continue, you have to get the message that's hidden in that dog's cage. You get to have this."

He gave me a small knife with a thin blade. Perfect tool for fast killing. I gripped it, wanting to crush it with all my heart.

"That son of a bitch..." I muttered, gritting my teeth. "I should have known he expected me to kill."

"I know it's not pleasant. But we have two human lives on the line." Said Mikasa. "We can't waste time trying not to hurt that dog."

"I know."

The man opened the cage and I stepped in after giving my jacket to Mikasa. Soon, people gathered around my cage.

"Two hundred on the dog."

"Three hundred. Too bad for that cutie."

"I don't know man. She looks tough. I bet three fifty on her."

"Two hundred on the little lady."

These boys were barely older than me. How the heck did they enjoy this? I ignored them and focused. I had to end this quickly. The cage opened and I saw two big yellow eyes staring at me with murder intent. I got to a fighting stance. I blinked once and the beast was already right in front of me, throwing itself on me to grab my throat. I moved just in time to avoid being slaughtered. I got up as quickly as I could and turned around to face the dog. That's when I froze. The dog was a big sized german shepherd that I knew all too well. Because I had grown up with that dog. It was Roork. But at the same time it wasn't. I thought I'd lost him in the bombing of our HQ. He looked... bigger than my dog. He drooled a lot and looked completely enraged. Like he had rabies. I also realized he was too fast for a normal dog. After he'd missed me, he had bumped into the wall and caved it in a bit. He was drugged for sure. And what other drug did I know that could triple strength and turn you mad at the same time besides splitter? Roork was high. I was about to call out to him, hoping he would remember my voice... but he charged again.

"PETRA! MOVE, DAMN IT!" Yelled Mikasa.

I jumped out of the way, just in time again. He was fast but not used to his speed so he couldn't control his body too well. I was thinking of what I could do to save him. But then doctor Rig's words came back to me.

"_Say, doc. Does Splitter work on animals?"_

"_Strange question. Yes but it kills them in a matter of hours. Their brains are not strong enough to handle it." _

If that was true, then Roork was already done for. He was in horrible pain and will slowly die, agonizing in a couple of hours. I bit my lower lip, to hold back the tears. I knew Ares was watching and no way in hell was I giving him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Roork charged again and this time managed to graze my shoulder. It started bleeding heavily. I ignored the pain and stood again. 'I'm gonna end your pain, boy.'

I took a firm stand and waited for him to come right at me. I wasn't fast enough to avoid him then stab him. I needed him to be close and still. He came running at me but this time I stayed where I was and raised my arms at the last moment. His jaw closed on my forearm as I let myself fall under him and thrust the deadly blade in his chest. His breathing got quicker and the pressure on my arm loosened. The canine started to whimper painfully and looked at me. I swallowed, trying to keep the tears in still. But one managed to escape my eye.

"I'm sorry boy." I muttered.

His whimpers got quieter and he fell to the side, lifeless. I quickly rubbed my eye to erase the tear and got up. I rubbed Roork's head one last time before getting up. 'Just you wait bastard.' I walked towards the cage and found a piece of paper. I picked it up and walked out of the cage. I glanced one last time at my poor Roork's body before joining Mikasa and unfolding the message. It just had a sentence. Congratulations angel.

"Where's the guy?" I asked my friend.

"He left right after locking you in. Petra, your arm!"

"Shit." I cursed. My forearm was bleeding heavily from Roork's bite.

That's when my phone rang. I picked up.

"Seeing you in action was so thrilling, angel. I didn't think you'd pass this task so easily. Thank you for entertaining me."

"Whatever, freak! Just tell me what my next task is."

"There's a door at the other end of the room. Follow the hallway to the end and you'll know right away what I want from you. Good luck angel."

Mikasa ripped one of her sleeves to bandage my wound before we headed towards the door. We ran through the hallway, expecting the worst.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this!" Shouted Hanji. "She left on her own AGAIN? She's more stubborn than you are, shorty."<p>

"She's not the only one gone. At least this time she took someone with her. Krista and Ymir are gone as well." Said Erwin.

"Tch. I swear I'm going to kill that brat." Muttered the Scout's leader.

Levi was about to pick his phone from his pocket to call his stupid brat, when it started ringing. The number was unknown, again. 'Shit.' He thought, while pressing the answer button.

"Hello Levi. Good to hear you again. I suppose you're wondering where your gang members are."

"Spill it, psycho."

"Remember Sina's undergrounds, Levi?"

"I don't remember unimportant things." He snapped back sarcastically.

"Well you're gonna have to make an effort. Your girls are currently in the Maze, trying to find your titan boy. Your gang members won't be able to find their way on their own. You're gonna have to guide them. You better hurry though. In less than a few hours, Petra will be with me again. If you make me wait, who knows? I might enjoy her company in a more...human way. See you soon."

Levi put his phone away and looked down.

"Levi?" Asked Hanji, worried.

"Fuck that bastard." He stated before getting up and putting his shirt on.

* * *

><p>Mikasa and I ran as fast as we could. At the end at the hallway, there was another door. We pushed it open. The room was dark with no lights on. Inside there was a pool. On the ceiling but further in the room, was a gigantic chandelier that looked really heavy. There was a staircase on the wall going up to another door. The blue of the water was the only thing lighting the room, so I guessed the lights inside of it were on. However this pool was extremely large and looked very deep. We got closer to the side and looked inside. It was at least ten meters deep. At the bottom there was some kind of cylinder shaped transparent box, big enough to fit at least five people. A small blond figure could be seen from here. I couldn't see clearly but it was a person.<p>

"Petra look." Said Mikasa.

A small TV screen that was hanged on the wall had turned on. An image appear. It was Krista. She was knocked out and her hands and feet were tied by a chain. The cylinder she was in was empty but I could see a small pipe piercing it from the side. The second I noticed that, I stared in horror. I kicked off my shoes and took off my jacket as dived in the gigantic pool. By the time I got to the cylinder, water had started coming out of the pipe and was slowly filling up the box. Krista was out like a light. I observed the cylinder. The pipe was stuck very tightly to the floor of the pool and going into the wall. Other than that, there was a key at Krista's feet and her chain was ridiculously long. I mentally cursed. There was nothing I could do. This cylinder was part of the ground so there was nothing to break. I'd been in apnea for more than a minute now and my lungs started burning. I swam up. I quickly described the problem to Mikasa.

"How long do you think she had before it's completely filled?" She asked.

"I'd say another five minutes."

"I think the key is a hint, I'm sure. I think we have to wake her up so she can free herself."

"You have a point but how do we wake her? Banging won't do any good in the water..." I said as my mind was still searching. "I know! Vibrations!"

I grabbed my jacket and took out my phone. Thank god it could go underwater. 'Bless you dad for giving me such a sophisticated phone.'

I grabbed my phone and jumped back in the water. Once down there, I placed it on top of the cylinder. It was made of reinforced plastic so it wasn't sound proof. I placed the device on top of it and set off the vibrations. 'Come on Kris, you gotta wake up.' After ten seconds, my best friend's eyes started to open. When she realized the place she was in she perked up with a look of terror on her face.

"What's going on?" I couldn't hear her but I could read her lips.

She put her hands on the glass and looked at me with teary eyes. I quickly typed on my phone.

**_Free yourself. We're gonna get you out. Hang in there a bit longer._**

I pointed at the key. My lungs were burning but I waited for her to nod before going back up. I came out again. Mikasa was observing the room with the eye of a hawk, catching every little detail.

"Three minutes." I said. "And there is no way we can free her from the box ourselves. If she mouths the pipe with her clothes, the pressure will bust it but the pool water will drown her even faster."

"You said her chains were very long, right?"

"Yeah, there's at least sixty meters."

She pointed at the heavy chandelier. We looked at each other and nodded, before we both jumped in the pool again.

Krista had freed herself, but the cylinder was half full now. I took out my phone again and typed really quickly.

**_Make a really solid knot at the end of your chain._**

She didn't understand but did what she was told. The chain was big and solid. This could work. No it had to work. It was their only option.

_**Now you're going to mouth the pipe with your jacket.**_

_**Then take a deep breath. The water will fill the box.**_

_**Then pass the other end of the chain to us through the busted pipe.**_

_**Let us handle the rest.**_

She froze when she realized how risky the plan was. We had to act very quickly if we were gonna make it. She looked more frightened than ever.

I typed one last message.

_**Trust us.**_

She took a deep breath and then gave me a determined nod. I told Mikasa via message that she should wait up there it, because it would save time. She nodded and swam up. Krista took off her jacket and filled the pipe with it. It didn't take long before the pressure increased and became too much for the thin metal tube. Krista took a deep breath...and the pipe broke under the pressure. The newly made whole in the cylinder let the pool water enter and fill it entirely. Krista, without even adjusting her eyes to the water, passed the chain through the hole. I grabbed it and swam up as fast as I could. I knew she wasn't found of swimming, so her apnea was limited to about twenty seconds. When I finally reached the surface, I quickly passed the chain to Mikasa. She ran quickly around the pool and up the staircase. She stepped on the banister and jumped on the chandelier. She quickly tied the chain to it, before taking out the knife that the man in black had given me and with a swift move, sliced the rope holding it up. The heavy object fell to the ground, pulling on the chain. I dived back underwater just in time to see the cylinder being ripped off the ground and freeing Krista. However, my best friend was immobile and eyes closed. No air bubbles were coming out of her mouth. I grabbed her quickly and pulled her up to the surface. Mikasa helped me get her out of the pool and lay her down on the floor. Noticing her lack of breathing, Mikasa started doing mouth to mouth resuscitation on her while I silently prayed. 'Please, Kris, please be okay!'

Krista suddenly opened her eyes and rolled to the side to spit out the water from her lungs. She coughed loudly before letting herself fall on the ground again out of exhaustion, breathing heavily.

"Thank you...Petra...Thank you...Mikasa..." She said in between huffs and somehow managing to smile.

I sat on the floor to regain control over my speeding heart that was pounding like a drum. 'How the hell did I stay this calm?'

RING. RING. RING. I picked up.

"Your catching my attention more and more, angel. You might just be more than just a pawn at this point. Although, Levi could have probably found a more stylish way of winning."

"Enough with your shitty sarcasm already! Tell me what I have to do next."

"Ah yes, your final task. Take the door at the top of the stairs and keep following the hallways. You'll find your next challenge there."

I hung up, not wanting to hear the voice of this psycho more than I had to. I stood up. "We can't leave Krista like this." Mikasa stated, looking at the girl who had fainted again. "She needs a doctor."

"Yeah, which means one of us is going back..."

"I'll go."

I stared with wide eyes. Did Mikasa Ackerman just renounced to see Eren? She looked at me with a very serious face.

"You're strong Petra. Stronger than me and not just physically. And your determination is almost as strong as Eren's. You also have good judgement. So... I'm leaving him to you. But please...please save him."

She swallowed with difficulty and I realized how hard it was for her to just let go like that, even if it was the logical choice. Besides she still hadn't recovered fully from the attack on our HQ. I nodded.

"I'll find him for sure" I swore. "While you're at it, warn Levi and the others when you get out. I don't know how the jamming works here, but it seems you can't make or receive calls from outside. And watch out for the people here. Levi said they can be violent."

"All right. Go now."

I turned around and started running up the staircase, following the hallway behind the door. I was expecting the worst.

* * *

><p><strong>(Whistling)! You know you want to know what's next! Keep reading!<strong>


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